


Gravitation In Play

by Idisch_von_Swedish



Category: House M.D., Miami Medical, Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Blood, Crossover, Drama, F/F, Fainting, Ice Cream, Medical Conditions, Medical Procedures, Needles, Romance, Vomiting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-01
Updated: 2016-05-09
Packaged: 2018-05-24 04:22:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 20,888
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6141356
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Idisch_von_Swedish/pseuds/Idisch_von_Swedish
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eva Zambrano is not feeling well but she's reluctant to go check it up.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Dr. Allison Cameron, specialist in immunology

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! I found this pairing but not much fanfiction for it, so I wrote this piece. It was supposed to be just a oneshot, but as usual it evolved into something a little bigger. I'm almost done with the third (and probably last) chapter at this point. It's unfortunately unbeta-ed, all mistakes are mine, but I hope there aren't too many of them :p
> 
> *** Mind the Additional Tags for Trigger Warnings! *** (nothing too explicit, though)
> 
> DISCLAIMERS!  
> \- I do not own any of the shows, or their characters, or their storylines.  
> \- I do not have any professional medical education, all my info comes from the internet or from personal/friends' experiences
> 
> If you think anything is incorrect, medically, feel free to comment! I've learned so much writing this story and I'm willing to learn more! ;)

**Dr. Allison Cameron, specialist in immunology**

"Dr. Zambrano?"

There's concern in Proctor's voice and Eva shifts her gaze from the patient on the operating table to meet her colleague's worried eyes.

"Are you feeling well?"

She's not. She's been feeling tired and weak lately and it's only getting worse. Probably because she's having trouble sleeping and barely ever has any time to cook. Or eat, for that matter. She used to manage a little free time but work has now completely taken over her life.

"Not exactly," she admits with a frown, resisting her urge to claim that she's fine.

"Well, until you are, why don't you go wait outside?"

Proctor's tone is firm and doesn't invite to objection, so Eva swallows her pride and steps away from the patient. Performing surgery requires a clear and focused mind – something she's currently lacking – and it's not responsible to continue.

She heaves a sigh and pulls off her stained gloves, scrubbing out. It's one of _those_ days. One of those days when her colleagues give her concerned looks and repeatedly asks if she's okay. One of those days when she fails to reassure them that it's nothing, she's just tired.

She sits down on the closest bench and buries her face in her hands, feeling miserable. This is how Proctor finds her, about forty minutes later, and he settles beside her, his expression thoughtful.

"Are you still stubbornly claiming that this is nothing?" he asks calmly, without looking at her.

Eva sits upright and turns toward him. She feels better now but she knows she'll have to be careful when she stands up again. It's not _nothing_ , but it's trivial. She's just a little overworked. It's no big deal. It happens when your week hours average 80 for too long.

"This is the third time this week you've had to leave during surgery," the doctor beside her states matter-of-factly when she doesn't reply, "and the second time today."

"I know!" she snaps, and immediately regrets her sudden outburst of irritation.

It's not like her to lose her temper, not even the slightest. She's usually very well composed. Letting out a sigh she closes her eyes briefly.

"I know," she says more softly. "I'm sorry, it's just that everyone keeps bugging me about it. I know I'm not tiptop at the moment but I'm really just tired. Everything else is fine."

"So, take the night off," he offers, or rather, _orders_. "Go home, sleep in your own bed, no calls, and if that doesn't help you really _should_ go see a doctor."

He's looking at her now, steadily meeting her gaze, and there's a twinkle in his eye. She gives him a look of feigned gravity.

"You know that _I_ _am_ a doctor, right?"

"What? No way! I had no idea," he plays along. "Perhaps you could examine yourself then, or how does that work?"

There's an authentic hint of seriousness in his voice and Eva gives him a half smile.

"If I promise to have it checked, will you let me stay tonight and do my job?" she tries.

He pretends to think deeply about this before shaking his head.

"Nope, you're still going home. We'll call someone else in to cover for you," he declares and prepares to leave.

Great, so now she's officially useless. Proctor notices her crestfallen look and turns to face her again, putting his hands reassuringly on her shoulders.

"I don't have to give you a speech, do I? You know you're a valued member of the team, _when_ you're not looking like you might end up next to our patient on the operating table."

She shifts awkwardly and casts down her eyes.

"I wouldn't have," she mumbles, barely loud enough for him to hear.

"Anyway," he says and straightens. "See you tomorrow."

"Goodnight."

She watches his retreating backside, still feeling rather useless. But enough self-pitying, she admonishes, and stretches her legs and arms a bit before standing, just to be safe.

After changing into her street clothes she exits the big trauma facility and gets into her car, deciding to make use of her extra time off to stop by Walmart on her way home. She can barely remember last time she had fresh greens in her fridge and she used to be so careful to eat properly. Tonight she will be having _real_ dinner.

The store is annoyingly noisy, though, and the headache she's been struggling with for the last couple of weeks strikes full force. Why does half the town seem to have had the same idea as her? The weakness makes itself known again and she wishes she had driven straight home instead.

"Perfect," she mutters as she looks around for a place to sit down or at least get away from some of all these people. "Just perfect..."

She heads for one of the less visited aisles but her vision is starting to get blurry and her body is becoming awfully numb. Deep breaths, she reminds herself and tightens her grip of the handle of her shopping cart. As soon as she gets to the calmer area – sewing articles, apparently – she stops and tucks her head down to help the blood flow to her brain. She curses silently in Spanish, knowing full well what's going on and what she should be doing – she _is_ a doctor, after all – but she _refuses_ , she's _not_ gonna-

"Excuse me, Ma'am, are you alright?"

Oh, great, someone has noticed her. Can this get any worse? Well, of course it can! The concerned female voice happens to belong to an exceptionally pretty brunette and Eva gets to admire this masterful creation of God for three whole seconds before black dots start to invade her vision, reminding her that she still needs to breathe. But it's not helping. Her ears are filled with a quickly increasing buzzing noise and it's inevitable now, there's nothing she can do. She regrets looking up.

"I'm gonna faint," she manages to mumble out in sudden realization, and it's partly a simple statement and partly a plea for help.

"Okay," she hears the other woman say somewhere far into the distance. "Why don't you sit down and-"

Next thing she knows she's on her back, looking up at a section of multi-coloured yarn and briefly wondering how, exactly, she ended up there.

"Welcome back."

Eva turns her head toward the speaker and _of course_ it's the pretty brunette, half kneeling, half crouching, and keeping Eva's useless legs elevated to a considerate height above the ground.

Oh God, this is beyond embarrassing.

On top of everything she notices an increasing number of spectators and could she melt into a puddle and evaporate right there and then, she would.

"What's your name?" the other woman asks.

"Eva."

"Okay, Eva, do you have any known medical condition? Like diabetes, or-"

"No, nothing like that," she quickly assures. "I'm fine, I'm just...tired."

She realizes how stupid it sounds – taken that she's lying flat on the floor – and almost groans in frustration.

"So tired you decided to take a nap in my arms? Wow, you must be _really_ tired."

Eva chuckles weakly and brings her hand up to cover her face. Under other circumstances she would probably be blushing but her cheeks haven't quite regained their usual color yet.

"I really did that, huh? I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry, I might just have saved you from a traumatic brain injury," the other woman says with a wink.

In other words, a concussion, Eva translates, not particularly impressed. Who talks like that anyway?

"Are you a doctor or something?" she asks her apparent savior, who smiles.

"I am, actually," she confirms. "Dr. Allison Cameron, pleased to meet you, specialist in immunology and usually not doing fieldwork like this."

"Fieldwork?" Eva snorts out. "Well, that's one way to put it. Speaking of putting, I think you can put my legs down now."

"Are you sure?" Dr. Allison Cameron, specialist in immunology and usually not doing fieldwork like this, asks with a frown. "You're still looking pretty pale."

"If you're complaining about my lack of a tan I'll tell you that not everyone in this area has the luxury of being able to spend all day out in the sun."

She chuckles at this but does lower Eva's legs down and scoots closer to her face.

"Fair enough. Work?"

"Mhm," Eva nods.

Work indeed. Too much of it.

"I was not feeling well so they forced me to go home. Guess I didn't make it all the way there..."

The woman beside her gets an all serious expression and scrutinizes her from head to toe.

"Do you have any idea of why you passed out?"

Eva swallows visibly.

"Well, I've only really had breakfast and a snack today," she mumbles, embarrassed. "So on top of being sleep deprived and overworked I may also have added dehydration and low blood sugar to the mix."

"Sounds like you're aware of the stress you're putting on your body, but you're not doing anything about it," the younger doctor concludes, narrowing her eyes before she stands and grabs something from Eva's shopping cart. "Eat."

Eva hesitantly accepts the bright red apple she's offered and slowly turns it in her hand, looking for flaws she knows aren't there. She only picked good ones.

"I haven't paid for this yet," she points out, but starts pushing herself up to a sitting position regardless and allows the other woman to assist her.

"I think they'll manage."

"But it's still wrong. I should pay for it first."

"Listen, Eva, you're my patient now, and as your doctor I order you to eat that apple. The sooner the better."

Eva purses her lips, unsure of how she feels about being bossed around by someone who looks half a decade younger than herself. It's not too bad, though. Almost endearing, actually. She probably shouldn't spoil the moment by telling the younger brunette she's not the only one with a degree here.

"Fine, _Doctor_ Cameron," she says instead, calmly and with extra emphasis on the honorific.

The apple tastes like forbidden fruit, wrong but delicious, and as on cue a store employee suddenly shows up. Eva chews guiltily as he approaches but the boy has a lost look on his face and barely seems old enough to be working there. When he's close enough she reads his nametag, which says 'Henry'.

"Ladies, err, what-what's going on here?" he stutters, fidgeting with his hands.

Dr. Cameron effectively informs him what has happened and sends him to fetch some water, then she turns to the small crowd Eva is trying to pretend isn't there and tells them everything is under control and that they may continue with their shopping. Only a few curious people are reluctant to leave, the last one being an old lady claiming she used to faint all the time when she was young.

"Turned out I was with child," she gravely discloses. "You should go have that checked up."

The lady is just trying to help and Eva gives a restrained but polite smile.

"Thanks for the advice. I'll...do that."

She won't. She's not pregnant. She hasn't slept with anyone in ages, let alone a guy, and she's not having no Jesus baby.

"Don't you worry, Ma'am, I can assure you that Eva here is in very good hands," Dr. Cameron says helpfully and emphasizes by lightly squeezing Eva's shoulders.

"Yeah, I'm totally confident that Dr. Cameron will take good care of me," Eva nods and glances mischievously toward said doctor. "Isn't that right, doctor?"

She's not quite sure why she felt the need to add that, but somehow the hand comment made her think of certain activities. 'Playing doctor', as it suitably happens to be called sometimes.

The younger brunette gives her an odd look but nods as well, and the old lady finally leaves. For a minute or two they're actually alone in the aisle.

"Very good hands?" Eva questions amusedly and continues to munch on her apple.

"I was trying to get rid of her! By the way, there's nothing wrong with my hands. They're quite nimble, actually."

Eva raises a quizzical brow, causing the other woman's cheeks to redden slightly as she finally realizes what Eva is getting at.

"Which is good for performing surgeries," she specifies. "Not that I'm doing a lot of that these days."

"How come?" Eva asks, intrigued.

She may keep the details of her own profession to herself but that doesn't mean she can't ask the immunologist about hers.

"I've been part of a diagnostic team at a hospital in New Jersey for the last three years."

"New Jersey? That's a long way from here. What are you doing in Miami?"

"Oh, I'm...on vacation."

Eva doesn't question her answer, though it doesn't sound completely truthful, and before the silence gets awkward the young clerk returns with a white plastic cup of water. He hands it to her with a tentative smile and she takes a long swig of the cold liquid.

"Are you feeling any better?"

"Yes, thank you, I do. Henry, is it?"

She motions toward his nametag and his smile brightens.

"Yeah! I'm new," he explains, and fidgets with his hands again. "Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"No, that's alright," she says and glances down at the apple snufkin in her hand. "Unless you'd like to throw this away for me? And keep quiet where it came from."

She gives him a meaningful but not entirely serious look and he catches on and takes the piece of fruit with a goofy grin.

"I know nothing," he promises. "Just shout out if you need me, I'll be around."

There's an exchange of nods and smiles and then the two doctors are alone again, save for an elderly couple lurking about in the other end of the aisle. The sewing department doesn't seem to attract a lot of people. Eva downs the rest of the water and Dr. Cameron takes the cup and ditches it in the shopping cart.

"How about we try to get you up on your feet?" she suggests and extends her hands.

Eva accepts the help and manages to get up but she's instantly hit with another surge of dizziness and doesn't dare to let go of the other woman's hands.

"Hey!"

Eva looks up with a frown.

"Hey?"

"Just making sure you're not about to take another nap in my arms," Dr. Cameron smirks and proceeds to look the older woman deeply in the eyes. "Many people don't take fainting seriously but you look far too pale, even for a workaholic, for this to be nothing."

"Please," Eva mutters and retracts her hands, taking hold of her shopping cart instead. "You sound like my colleagues."

"But you know they're right, don't you? You may not be pregnant like Miss Helpful Lady implied earlier but you _should_ let a doctor examine you, just to make sure there isn't any serious underlying condition."

"I don't know..."

"I'm insisting. What do you have to lose?"

"I... I just don't like hospitals that much..."

It's a terrible lie and Eva blushes. Jesus. Couldn't she have come up with anything better? She freaking _works_ at a hospital.

"Don't you have anyone that can go with you?"

She's sincerely concerned. Dr. Allison Cameron, specialist in immunology, is sincerely concerned about her. Eva's cheeks darkens further when she realizes her lie wasn't detected.

"Err, no," she stutters, hoping to end the questioning. "I-I haven't."

"Well, then I'll go with you."

And Eva stands there, dumbfounded and out of excuses, with her mouth slightly open in surprise. She didn't even consider the possibility of such an offer.

"You'd...do that?"

"What can I say, I'm known for going out of my way for my patients."

Eva can relate. She sometimes grows a little too attached to her patients as well. Usually not to the point of interacting with them on her free time, though.

"I thought you said you were on vacation?"

The younger woman winches notably but quickly regains her composure.

"A doctor is never fully off duty," she responds cleverly.

There's a moment of silence and then she reaches into her purse, brings out a piece of paper, and scribbles down something on it before handing it to the older woman.

"At least take my number. I'll be around for a while, don't know for how long, exactly, but don't hesitate to call."

Eva smiles and accepts the note, but mostly out of politeness. She's not actually planning on calling. If only she hadn't told that stupid lie...

"Are you going to be okay? I think my ice cream may be in a critical condition. I should hurry home and put it in the freezer before it melts away."

Eva laughs heartily at the unexpected comment.

"At least, if things get really bad, you know how to do CPR," she jokingly reminds the other doctor.

"Well, I'm not sure that would actually help in this case. I'd probably just make a mess."

"Good point."

They both smile and Dr. Cameron crosses the aisle to pick up her shopping basket, which indeed contains a lot of ice cream and not much else.

"Bad breakup or just a big fan of ice cream?" Eva dares ask.

"Ah, well... A bit of both, I guess."

"I'm sorry to hear."

"It wasn't that bad," the younger woman says with a dismissive shrug. "Plus, I appreciate everything that helps me to keep cool."

Eva chuckles. Miami during the summer months can be rather painful, especially if you're not used to the heat and humidity.

"You better go save that ice cream, then."

"Yeah, I better. You're absolutely sure you're alright? I mean, if you want company..."

She wasn't kidding with the 'going out of her way for her patients', Eva thinks, a little surprised. Technically, she's not even her patient, not really.

"No, I'm fine," she insists and gestures toward the contents of her shopping cart. "I'm almost done anyway, so..."

"Okay," the other woman simply says and takes a step in the direction of the checkout lanes. "Take care."

"You too!"

"And, um... I'll be waiting for that call."

The younger brunette gives her an admonishing look before she leaves and Eva feels a bit guilty. For the small lies and for already having decided not to call. But she's a surgeon for God's sake, she doesn't need anyone to hold her hand for a simple doctor's appointment! Not that she's going. She's not sick, contrary to what everyone else seems to think. And she should know, considering her profession.

Breathing out a sigh she looks down at the piece of paper in her hand. ' _Cameron_ ,' it says. No ' _Dr_ ' or ' _Allison_ ' or ' _specialist_ _in_ _immunology_ ', just the last name and then a number with an unfamiliar area code.

"Cameron, huh?" Eva mumbles and folds the note. "You're gonna have to wait a _long_ time for that call."


	2. Cameron 551-226-3766

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A day consisting of: decisions made above her head, assumptions, surprises, and a dilemma.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I updated the other AN with disclaimers. Also had to rather drastically change most of this chapter, and the third one, because I realised I didn't want to give Eva character the disease I had settled on xD So back to study and compare diseases and as it turned out, I actually went with the very first option I had when I started writing the fic! All good, then. Because of this I had to change genre, since it now definitely will be less angsty.
> 
> Oh, and I'm currently under treatment for iritis, so one of my eyes is pretty useless and my overall vision is kinda blurry. Reading and writing are a bit troublesome so there might be spelling mistakes I've missed, but I've done my best to check for them.

**Cameron 551-226-3766**

_Eva is walking down the stairs, bickering with Cameron who's following a few steps behind. She knows they had an argument. Cameron confronted her with something Eva had done to her, and Eva defended her own actions. She's feeling a great deal of anger and fear, but she doesn't know why. Then she opens a door and there's an explosion, throwing them both backwards._

_The fire is all around them and Eva's anger diminishes in favor of greater fear. She's stuck under a piece of debris. Cameron helps to free her and shouts that they need to get out, but Eva's foot is hurt._

" _I can't move! You have to get me out. Help me!"_

 _And Cameron hesitates, the blonde locks framing her face glowing red in the light of the flames. She looks at the older woman, toward the exit, and back again. Then she steps over her, and Eva_ knows _. She grabs hold of the retreating woman's arm, knuckles paling against red leather._

" _You're gonna leave me, aren't you?"_

_Confirming her fears, Cameron breaks free and jumps through the blazing door frame. Eva has never felt such death anxiety in her entire life. She's gonna be burned alive._

_She makes a fruitless attempt to crawl to safety but suddenly there's someone putting the flames out with a fire extinguisher. It's Cameron, proving to be remarkably strong as she easily scoops up the other woman in her arms. Eva holds on for dear life, burying her face in the blonde curls of her savior._

" _You fool, did you really think I would leave you to your fate? I wouldn't dream of it even if you were my worst enemy."  
_

* * *

Music blaring into her ear is what wakes her up – rather ungently – the next morning. Considerably disturbed by the noise, and a bit confused why her phone is basically in her face, she picks up the call.

"Eva Zambrano speaking," she greets, blinking blearily at the ceiling.

"Did you just fall asleep on the phone?"

She frowns. What? However, she has a feeling that she might have done just that, because she doesn't remember talking to someone when she went to bed last night.

"Err, I-I don't know," she says uncertainly. "Who is this, anyway?"

"It's still Chris. Deleo. We've met."

"I know who you are, Chris..."

"That's a relief. So you haven't been taking any drugs?"

" _What_?!" she sputters. "What are you talking about?"

Chris bursts out laughing at the other end of the line.

"I think you might've picked up the phone in your sleep before," he explains, still chuckling. "We had a very unsatisfying conversation so I tried to check your sobriety with a joke about drugs. When you didn't respond to it I knew something was off, but look who's finally awake!"

She feels slightly embarrassed but what's worse is that she decides to check the time and her heart almost stops. Half past six. Somehow she must also have turned off her alarm in her sleep, cause when she starts at seven she usually leaves...about now. Traffic has a tendency to be unpredictable, so she likes to play it safe. She's never been more than a few minutes late without a legitimate reason, and that was _one_ time.

"Oh God, work! I'm late!"

She panics and bolts out of bed, only to crash into her bureau a few seconds later when the usual morning dizziness hits her. Standing on all fours on the floor, catching her breath, she looks around for her phone. It's undamaged, miraculously, and the call is still running. She hurries to pick up the device.

"Sorry! I dropped the phone."

" _Dropped?_ " Chris says pointedly. "By all means, punish your phone, but it's not his fault you overslept."

"Ha-ha," she mutters and slowly works herself up to a standing position. "I gotta go, pray that traffic is light today."

"Lord, let traffic be light for Eva today. Amen."

"Bye, Chris."

She hangs up and slowly stands, steadying herself on the piece of furniture she previously crashed into. Her arm still hurts. Carefully, she makes her way into the bathroom to get ready, and it doesn't take long. It mustn't. After a long swig of cool water she feels considerably steadier on her feet and soon she's on her way toward work. She doesn't get stuck in traffic – though she doubts Chris' prayer has anything to do with it – and actually manages to be on time.

"Ah, Dr. Zambrano! Glad you could make it."

Proctor's voice isn't without humor.

"I'm actually feeling pretty good today, thank you very much," she counters, although it's not entirely true.

She's not feeling as bad as she did yesterday but 'pretty good' is a slight exaggeration.

"Have you had breakfast yet?"

"I, um, I didn't have time..."

She's not too proud of it and expects disapproval from her superior, but to her surprise he simply nods.

"Anything else than water put in your system for the last ten hours?"

She had dinner around half past eight and declines again, starting to suspect what he's up to.

"Good. No one needs our immediate attention at the moment and we've had a pretty calm night, so let's draw some blood before you start."

"Seriously? You do remember that I just yesterday agreed to have it checked, right?"

"Exactly," he says and opens a door to the right, gesturing for her to enter the empty on-call room. "That's why you're not going to argue."

"I'm definitely going to argue," she protests. "We can't use hospital equipment on ourselves just because we're-"

"Too busy to seek medical care elsewhere? Come on, Eva, I know you won't do it otherwise. Just sit down while I fetch the equipment and this will be over before anyone even notices you're gone."

It annoys her, but he's probably right.

"This is ridiculous," she mutters as she walks into the room and sits down in the chair.

"Don't clench your fist."

With those words Proctor leaves and Eva realizes that she's indeed clenching her fists. But she's so frustrated! Since when is she deemed unfit to make her own decisions? Well, since yesterday, apparently. With a gloomy look on her face she wills herself to relax and waits for Proctor to return. She can't believe she's actually agreeing to do this.

A couple of minutes later he's back but the procedure then takes a bit longer than expected. For whatever reason her blood is somewhat reluctant to leave her body and she impatiently taps the fingers of her free hand against the armrest. Of course it has to be slow when they're in a hurry.

Afterwards she feels a bit, well, _drained_ , but the blood loss from a sample like this is negligible and she knows it's all in her head. Or, it _could_ be because she hasn't eaten yet today. While Proctor strides away to pass on her blood to some unsuspecting lab technician Eva goes straight to one of the trauma center's vending machines. No more skipping breakfast, she decides, and does feel better with some food in her stomach.

"There you are! Figures I would find you here, I bet you didn't have time for breakfast."

It's Chris and there's no way to keep him from noticing her arm as he walks up to her.

"Did someone poke you with a needle?" he asks and raises a brow.

"Don't ask," she groans and then leans a bit closer to hiss in his ear. " _I was forced!_ "

He laughs and shakes his head at her.

"Alright, no questions asked. But, um, work," he says meaningfully and points at the nearest clock.

"I was just on my way."

* * *

The morning unfolds surprisingly uneventfully and by lunchtime no one – except Chris – has yet commented on Eva's arm. Out of politeness, she's sure, because the small patch she's put over the needle mark does little to cover the prominent bruising in the area.

Lunch for Eva and her colleagues is generally a quick business, consisting of not so much traditional lunching as grabbing a power bar, sitting down for a few minutes, and combining filling out charts with discussing current patients. There are exceptions, of course, and today seems to be one of them. Not only has Eva real food with her, but Chris, Serena, and Tuck are sitting together, definitely not talking about work. Instead, they are looking very interested in something lying on the table. Eva joins them after heating leftovers from yesterday's dinner in the microwave, crossing her fingers she'll have time to eat it.

"Hey, what's up?"

She has barely voiced her question before she knows the answer, seeing what the thing lying on the table is. Her stomach makes an odd twist.

" _This_ ," Chris says intently, and reads out loud from the piece of paper he's holding up between them. "Cameron, 551-226-3766. I just found it in the locker room but it's neither Serena's nor Tuck's."

It must've fallen out of her pocket this morning.

"It's mine," Eva hears herself say.

All eyes turn to her and she focuses on her food so hard it might just catch fire. She shouldn't have said anything. Why did she say it was hers? Now they are going to ask questions.

"Is it a patient?"

Chris makes it sound like she wouldn't be able to get any other kind of number and Eva almost feels offended.

"Why would I have a patient's number?" she asks with a frown. "No, we met at Walmart."

By the astonished looks the others are giving her she can tell they are getting this all wrong.

"It's not what you think," she explains between bites.

"Really now?"

"Really. And I'm not gonna call, so you can..."

She wants to tell Chris he can toss it in the trash but somehow that evokes inner pictures of herself rummaging through the hospital's garbage bins. But she isn't going to call, right? She doesn't need the number.

"You can do whatever you want with it," she settles on.

"And what would I want to do with a guy's number?"

"What makes you think it's a guy?"

"Because you're acting all funny, Eva, and I have an eye for these types of things."

"Like that time you told me literally everything I did was flirting, no matter if I was looking at you or not?"

Chris feigns hurt and Tuck and Serena grins at him.

"Yeah, how's that going Chris?" Serena asks. "There's a lot of people waiting for that to happen."

"Well, you know..."

"I'm right here," Eva reminds them.

It still bugs her a little that people are actually betting on whether she and Chris will sleep together, but she must admit she also finds it a bit amusing. Chris is probably the one who himself started it somehow. It's totally something he would do and he's always been a little more interested in her than she's in him. They have a great friendship, though, and she wouldn't trade it for the world.

Their pagers beep and Eva is out of her seat in a heartbeat, putting the lid back onto the plastic jar containing her half eaten lunch. She places it in the fridge and is the first among her friends to exit the room.

"Eva, your date!"

She doesn't look back but imagines Chris waving the note in the air with a goofy grin. He catches up with her within a few steps.

"Are you seriously not gonna call? I can tell you want to."

He can tell, huh? If she's completely honest with herself she _would_ like to see Cameron again, but she just doesn't see it happening. Her dream last night – which she still remembers very clearly – pretty accurately reflects how she feels about the situation. She's afraid of rejection. The younger woman surely wouldn't hesitate to help, but only because that's in her nature.

"Yeah, but it doesn't matter," she mutters, her heart rate increasing a bit with the confession.

"Err, of course it does! If someone gives you their number it means they _want_ you to call. It's not rocket science."

"You don't know the circumstances," she argues.

Yesterday, at the supermarket... Cameron only did what any other decent human being would have done, and – frankly – her _job_. 'Don't hesitate to call' wasn't an invitation to ask her out, but simply a doctor caring about a patient. And Eva doesn't _actually_ need her help.

Unfortunately, she can't tell Chris what really happened last evening, cause then he'll get all concerned again and she doesn't want to be treated like some weakling. It's bad enough as it is, with Proctor making decisions over her head.

"Then tell me!" Chris insists. "I'm all ears."

"I bet you are but let's focus on work now, okay? We have incoming in three minutes."

"Alright, but I'll keep the number in case you change your mind," he declares.

She gives him an eye roll and he grins back at her.

"Of course you will."

* * *

She's in the locker room that evening, changing into her street clothes, when a tired looking Serena walks in. The first-year resident's eyes immediately widen when she sees her older colleague.

"Wow, Eva, what did you do?"

Eva turns around with her t-shirt in her hands, initially confused by the blonde's reaction.

"What did I...?"

"Are you turning into a Smurf or something?"

She understands then, she thinks, since the bend of her left arm is indeed pretty blue. Well, purple. It surprises her, though, that the younger woman doesn't seem to have noticed until now.

"Oh, that. I had a blood test."

"Yeah, well, _that_ I figured," Serena says as she undresses. "I meant the other ones."

The other ones? Eva takes a closer look at herself, and in addition to where the needle went in there are also bruises on the back of her shoulder, upper arm, and elbow. She quickly puts on her shirt to cover at least some of the evidence of her morning drama.

"I kinda fell into my bureau," she mumbles, gathering her things.

"You fell into your bureau?" Serena repeats with disbelief in her voice.

"Clumsy, right?" Eva chuckles awkwardly.

She closes her locker, mildly uncomfortable under the resident's searching gaze, but what else is she supposed to say? This is the truth. Mainly.

"If you say so," the younger woman accepts her explanation, thankfully dropping the subject. "Drive safe and I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah, same. See you!"

Eva gives a weak smile, wishing she didn't have to be back there in twelve hours. She exits the locker room and almost bumps into Proctor.

"Zambrano!" he greets, and she can't quite make out his tone. "May I speak with you?"

"Sure," she agrees, suddenly anxious.

He leads her into an empty on-call room – not the same as in the morning, though – and there's no chair so they both sit down on the bed. She can only assume this is about the test results.

"So, am I dying or...?" she jokes, but her smile falters when he doesn't immediately catch on.

"I think you should go get checked properly and have some more tests done," he says firmly.

Eva's stomach drops. She wouldn't need further testing if everything looked fine. And he didn't deny it, she realizes. He didn't tell her she wouldn't die. The silence is deafening.

"At least, you need to retake your serum potassium. Everything else is within the normal range, so it may be false hyperkalemia. Or, if you binged on bananas yesterday, that would explain it, too."

Proctor says the last part with humor and Eva retorts with a squint and mock condescension.

"I prefer apples."

The man beside her is quiet for just a little too long, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly.

"Right," he says then, and she can't help to feel as if she's missing something. "So, back to the test results."

"Can I see them?" she requests.

He hands over a printed version of the results and she reads as he speaks.

"I suspected a deficiency of iron, B12, or possibly folate, but as you can see there's none of that. It's really only your high potassium that calls for concern. But as I said, it could be a false result. Perhaps you did clench your fist after all."

"I don't think so," she mumbles and puts her index finger under a number on the paper. "And while this is still within the normal range it's definitely in the upper region. Both BUN and creatinine are. There could be something wrong with my kidneys, or the beginning of it."

"Yes, I agree. That's why I'm suggesting further investigation. Do you want to setup the appointment yourself or should I refer you?"

"I can-" she begins, but quickly cuts herself off as she recalls Cameron's offer. "I, uh..."

Maybe, just maybe... But she can't refer herself, then, not if she isn't planning on telling the younger woman about her profession. And she isn't, because that would make it all very inconvenient. Cameron would wonder what the hell Eva needs her there for, why she lied in the first place, and it would be awkward and probably end badly. On the other hand, faking a hospital fear is probably not a very good idea either. Perhaps she should just forget about seeing the other woman ever again.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of it," Proctor decides and pats Eva's shoulder lightly, right on one of her bruises.

She waited too long with her answer.

"Thank you," she says and forces a smile.

She'll simply have to decide about Cameron later.

* * *

Eva sits down in her kitchen, exhausted as always. This evening a bit more than usual, from the somewhat unsettling news. If there only was someone who could make her dinner, or even heat leftovers in the microwave. The seven feet to the fridge seem endless.

Resting her forehead on the table, she wonders how in the world she's supposed to make it to her bed, which is located in the other end of her apartment. The headache is back and she can't motivate herself to sit up straight, or even open her eyes. In fact, she can't motivate herself to do anything. It's like gravitation is suddenly affecting her with double force, making it impossible for her to move at all. Her stomach is aching, too, and a few hours ago she would've explained it away as improper food intake during the day. Now, after learning the results of her blood test, she's not so sure. Maybe there really is something wrong with her.

A few minutes later she catches herself trying to remember Cameron's number. She's not sure what's more frustrating, the fact that she wants to call, or that she's only sure of the area code and the last two sixes. She did study the piece of paper pretty closely the night before. Not that anyone needs to know.

Unable to cope, she forces herself upright and grabs her phone. She tries not to be too obvious in her reluctant message to Chris.

/So, how's it going with you and Cameron? ;)/

The reply comes almost immediately and she blushes slightly at the text, not any less frustrated than before.

/Regretting you let go of the number, huh? I knew you would come around :p/

So much for trying to be subtle.

/No, I'm not regretting anything. I was simply trying to make a joke.../

It's a lie, of course.

/Then you wouldn't be upset if I, let's say, told you I had lost the number?/

That's...it's only hypothetical, right? He's just testing her.

/Nope/

/Phew! But don't worry, I'm sure your soulmate is out there somewhere, just dying to find you ;)/

She fidgets with her phone, unable to figure out if he's serious or not. This is not going according to plan. Then, of course, she didn't have much of a plan to begin with.

/Sooo, you really have lost the number? Doesn't sound like you./

She just has to know.

When ten minutes have passed without a reply, she gives up, only to get the brilliant idea that she can search for the number online. How many Allison Camerons can there be? Feeling a bit silly, almost guilty, she browses through various sites until she finds one which displays the phone numbers for free. There are 18 matches and she scrolls through them with anticipation, hoping Cameron will be among them. Hoping she spelled the name right. Hoping there will be a familiar number on the list.

And.

There is. It's just that this Cameron has a Miami address, not that far from Eva's own apartment. Who changes their address for a vacation? Unless it's not really a vacation?

She decides that she can't call, not when the younger woman seems to be there to _stay_. She feels oddly disappointed, but at the same time relieved that she doesn't have to make the call. Then she gets a reply from Chris, finally, and groans at the ten digit number he just sent her. He hadn't lost it. A second text arrives shortly after the first one.

/Sorry, I was in the shower. Hope the suspension didn't kill you :p/

/I just found out we're almost neighbours, so NO I'm definitely not calling! And don't try to convince me otherwise!/

She doesn't care what he will think anymore, she just wants him to stop coaxing her into doing something she finds highly inadvisable.

/You have a strange way of reasoning, Eva. And damn, you found your inner stalker! That's really something. But yet, you're still adamantly refusing to call?/

/Yes. Night C/

She uses the small surge of evoked irritation to rise from her kitchen chair and get ready for bed – because, screw food, she can eat tomorrow – and just when she has climbed under the covers her phone notifies her of a new message. Presumably from Chris, so she doesn't bother to check it. It's probably just more coaxing or a simple goodnight.

Then it rings.

"Yeah, Chris?" she sighs into the phone, and there's a moment of silence before a confused voice greets her.

"Uh, hi. This is...this is Cameron."

Eva's eyes shoot open. Did she mishear? She quickly glances at the screen of her phone but it really is the other woman calling.

"Um," is the only thing Eva manages to get out.

"You know, from yesterday? At Walmart?" Cameron tries, sounding a bit tentative. "Or is this not Eva?"

"Yes, yes it is. I remember. Uh..."

Eva's still struggling for words. She didn't expect this call so she's not at all prepared for it. For heaven's sake, she just definitely decided _not_ to call! It feels unreal. That is, until she starts to suspect who's been meddling.

"How did you get my number?" she questions and it comes out a bit harsher than she intends it to.

"I, eh, got your friend's message," Cameron says with uncertainty. "It seemed a bit odd but I thought I'd give you a ring anyway. I hope I'm not bothering you?"

Eva is going to _kill_ him! Is he completely out of his mind? How is she supposed to get out of this sticky situation? What should she say to Cameron? She's utterly frustrated, but at the same time, it's really nice to hear the other woman's voice again. Chris knows she never would've called on her own, so he gave her a small – well, actually not that small – push in the right direction. That sneaky bastard.

"You're not bothering me," Eva assures the younger woman. "Well, I'm getting ready for bed but it's okay. I just...wasn't expecting you to call."

"Right away? Yeah, sorry, maybe I should've waited till tomorrow. I was curious, though, if you had decided to go to the doc, after all."

Well, shit. What did Chris tell the girl, exactly? Eva tries to keep herself calm.

"Oh," she says. "About that... I actually did have a blood test done today, my boss made me, and I need to go back for more tests."

"Wow, that's some fast acting right there. Did it go okay? When are you going back?"

"Yes, it did, and I don't know yet," Eva answers both questions truthfully.

Somehow she must find a way to come clean and tell the other woman that the hospital fear only was something she made up in the heat of the moment. Why does it feel so difficult? It's no big deal. Cameron lied too, she's obviously not on vacation.

"Well, my offer still stands, if you'd like some company," the younger woman declares. "From someone other than your friend."

"He doesn't know," Eva hurries to say. "I don't want him to know. I mean, I couldn't hide my arm today at work but he doesn't know."

"That's okay. You decide who you want to tell."

"Yeah, I know," Eva mumbles.

It doesn't help that Cameron is so painfully understanding and supportive to everything she says. The younger woman is constantly throwing her off guard.

"So, does that mean you want me to come with you? Or would you rather go on your own? Because really, it's no trouble for me."

Did she mention how heartbreakingly adorable this woman also is? Saying no is becoming harder and harder the longer they speak. Eva really should set things straight as soon as possible. Maybe they could still meet? Yeah, because that's _so_ likely. She's trapped between two – in her opinion – equally bad alternatives.

"I, um..." she begins hesitantly. "I don't know..."

"You don't need to decide _now_. You can think about it, and if you do want some support, just let me know. I don't plan very far ahead these days."

"Okay," Eva says breathlessly, thankful to have some more time to think this through.

"Great! So, I'm gonna let you sleep now. Again, sorry for calling a bit late."

"No need to apologize, it's just me who went to bed early."

It's barely past eight.

"Alright. Have a good night's sleep, then."

"Yeah, thanks. Goodnight."

The call gets disconnected and Eva closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. Chris is so going to pay for this.


	3. Red Leather Jacket Wearing, Blonde Savior

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eva tries to be honest with everyone. It doesn't go as planned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My eye is okay again, yay! But this story is still unbeta-ed, so I apologize för any mistakes. Of course I couldn't keep this down to only three chapters, who was I trying to kid, so there will be at least one more! We'll see.
> 
> Quite a lot happening in this chapter, hope you'll like it :)

**Red Leather Jacket Wearing, Blonde Savior**

_Cameron hurls a sword at the frenzied dragon, defeating it as the silvery weapon buries itself deep into the creature's chest. She frees Eva – who's tied to a chair, with duct tape over her mouth – and they take off toward the hospital. They're working together now, because their son's life is in danger, but as they finally reach him they realize that there's nothing they can do. He's gone._

_Eva is manhandled into a closet and pushed up against the wall, Cameron frantic and accusing. She claims that everything is Eva's fault, and the worst part is that she's right, it_ is _her fault. A mistake, yes, but nonetheless her fault. It doesn't matter how much she wants to put the blame on the blonde, because she knows that her son is dead because of no one other than herself. Only a miracle can save him now._

 _Cameron walks up to his small, lifeless form on the hospital bed and bends down, pouring her soul into a last goodbye kiss on his forehead. A white light suddenly blinds them for a moment, an invisible wave of energy hits everyone in the room, and then Henry – her son,_ their _son – draws in a sharp breath and opens his eyes._

Eva immediately wakes up in much the same manner, except she's also soaked from sweat and possibly even more exhausted than when she went to bed. A glance over at her nightstand informs her that she has about three hours left until it's time to get up. _Up._ The mere thought of being in a vertical position causes her body to scream in protest. But in three hours, maybe she'll feel better. She _has_ to go to work. Just one more workday, then she'll have the weekend free. For once.

Going back to sleep, however, is pretty hard when her head is pounding and she's feeling overall unwell. She changes into dry nightwear and if nothing else, she's at least more comfortable.

 _Henry_ , she suddenly recalls, her eyes shooting wide open. She dreamt she had a kid together with Cameron. How strange isn't that? And the name feels oddly familiar, wasn't Henry the clerk at Walmart? Eva's fairly sure it was. Is. He was much younger in the dream, though. Cameron, on the other hand, was the same as last night. The dreams don't make much sense to Eva, but to inner pictures of the red leather jacket wearing, blonde savior she finally drifts off to sleep again.

The next time she opens her eyes it's to her alarm, and _very_ reluctantly. Her mouth is a desert and there's an empty hole where her stomach should be. Breakfast in bed wouldn't have been too bad, but that kind of luxury is not for her. With disgruntled mutters she basically crawls out of bed – not making the same mistake as the previous morning – and slowly drags her feet across the hall and into her kitchen. She's incredibly weak. Maybe she shouldn't have skipped dinner yesterday.

Cameron called.

A faint smile lightens Eva's otherwise anguished expression as she thinks of their brief conversion the night before. She starts her day with a big scoop of ice cream, just because. The younger woman seemed to have a thing for the chilly dessert, when they met. It's a terribly unhealthy way to start the day, of course, but the sugar works itself quickly into her system and gives her the energy boost she needs to prepare something more nutritious.

She arrives at work with time to spare and it just so happens that Chris is the only person in the locker room when she gets there.

"You fool!" she chides him, and he greets her with a wide grin.

"Good morning to you too, Eva. So I'm guessing he _did_ call?"

" _She_! _She_ called!"

Chris' grin fades notably and Serena, who's just walked in, picks up on their conversation.

"The Walmart guy is a woman?" she wonders, clearly amused. "What happened?"

"I kind of encouraged her to call Eva," Chris replies sheepishly and turns back toward the brunette. "I didn't know... Err, I hope I didn't cause you any trouble?"

"Well, that depends on your definition of trouble," Eva retorts and walks past him to get changed. "What did you tell her, more specifically?"

"I just sent a text suggesting her to call you because you had this idea that you couldn't, then I added your number. I realize now, in hindsight, that I may not have thought it through properly."

" _May_ not have? You're supposed to be an adult! Maybe it's time you start acting like one."

"Okay, I didn't think it through," he admits, his eyes and face averted to give his two female colleagues a bit of privacy. "But hey, I'm not the one who's been fussing over a simple call."

A _simple_ call? Bah, hardly! Eva ignores him and carries on with getting appropriately dressed for work. When she's done she notices Serena's intrigued expression in the corner of her eye.

"So, this woman," the one-year-resident begins. "How come you got her number in the first place? I mean, nothing wrong with a little casual grocery shop flirting, but I must admit I rarely get any actual numbers from it. And never from _girls_."

It's as suggestive as it can be and Eva smirks, despite herself.

"You know, if you actually did flirt with girls I'm sure you would be more successful in getting their number."

Chris' eyes widen significantly.

"Wait. Are you telling me you've secretly been a lesbian all this time?" he questions in bewilderment. "We've known each other for almost three years, and I'm finding out about this just now?"

"Good luck with that bet," Serena snickers and bumps Chris' arm with her elbow.

"That's not what I'm saying," Eva objects and puts her hands on her hips to try to gain some authority. "It's not black and white like that for me. I haven't told you, because I've had no reason to. You know I'm not much for dating and relationships anyway, and frankly, you've never asked."

"Well, I've never thought of the possibility," he says and shrugs helplessly.

"Speaking of, the possibility of us all being late is increasing every minute," she points out and leads the way out of the locker room. "And just to make this clear, while the details regarding my sexuality are by no means secret, I'd appreciate if they don't spread like wildfire across the hospital right away."

"Of course," Serena and Chris say in unison.

They walk in silence for some time and Eva almost thinks the discussion is over, but she's not getting away that easily.

"So tell me, Eva, what's _your_ definition of trouble?" Chris wants to know.

She heaves a sigh, deciding she might as well continue telling the truth.

"My definition of trouble is that Cameron is an immunologist – yes, she was very specific – and she thinks I'm some hapless lady needing moral support for my doctor's appointment due to an irrational fear of hospitals."

Eva groans when she sees Chris and Serena's raised brows.

"Okay, that sounded even more ridiculous out loud than in my head. I don't know what to tell her!"

"But why would she think that?" Chris questions, frowning down at her. " _Do_ you have a doctor's appointment?"

"I will have," she quietly admits.

There, she said it.

"Are you sick?" Serena asks with concern in her voice. "Was the blood test not alright?"

"I just need to double check a couple of things, it's probably nothing," Eva shrugs it off.

"Probably?" Chris questions pointedly.

"Yes, _probably_. Please don't treat me any differently because of this, Proctor is already starting to get on my nerves! I'm quite alright."

"It's good to hear you're appreciating my help," comes sarcastically from behind a corner, and Proctor emerges.

"I didn't say I wasn't," Eva quickly amends, blushing slightly.

"I know," he smirks and walks past them, stopping to call over his shoulder. "Oh, by the way. Your appointment is nine sharp on Wednesday morning. Twelve hours of fasting."

He's gone as swiftly as he appeared and Eva's cheeks darken further. Serena offers a sympathetic smile while Chris pats her back brotherly.

"I get what you mean," he says and gives her a knowing look. "We'll be our normal selves, I promise."

* * *

Eva stares at her phone's bright display. She's curled up on her couch and allows herself to hesitate for just one more minute. Proctor chose a day when she's only scheduled for the night, so apart from showing up for her appointment there's nothing she needs to do. Truth to be told, she's a bit nervous, but mostly because of what these new results may show. And, because of Cameron.

 _Cameron_.

Eva swipes the name on the contact list and presses the phone to her ear with her heart thumping inconveniently loud in her chest. She's finally made up her mind and decided to be honest with the other woman. It's the right thing to do. If she's really lucky, Cameron will still be curious about the results, and if not meet, maybe they can keep contact over the phone. Then Eva will at least get to hear her voice a few more times.

"Hi!"

It's overly cheerful and Eva is thrown off again.

"Hi, this is Eva," she says awkwardly, her cheeks hot when Cameron chuckles softly at the other end of the line.

"Yeah, my phone gave me a heads up. How are you?"

"I'm alright," Eva replies with forced cool, despite her inner agitation. "How are you?"

Why can't she just be her normal confident self? Chris was right. She's been fussing over a simple call and now she's doing it again. Simple. This is simple. She just needs to get a grip, because seriously, she barely just met the girl!

"Well, I've spent the last few days chilling out and eating ice cream, so I don't think I'm allowed to complain."

Eva smiles. She likes to keep busy and even now, during these past weeks of decreasing energy levels, she would probably go crazy after more than a few days of inactivity. Suddenly it strikes her, though, that Cameron is getting over a breakup. Sort of, at least. Eva has been so focused on her own problems that she's forgotten about the other woman's.

"But if you were allowed to complain? What would you complain about?"

Cameron is quiet for a moment and Eva anxiously awaits her answer. Maybe she shouldn't have asked. But she's genuinely curious, and probably just overthinking it all.

"Honestly? I'm kind of bored."

Perhaps they aren't that different after all, Eva thinks. Besides, this is good news. Bored is good. Then

"But I guess you didn't call just to hear about my uneventful day, did you?"

Eva gulps. It's time.

"Well, I've got a date and time for my appointment," she says and draws in a deep breath. "But I don't exactly _need_ anyone to go with me. I mean, I wouldn't mind your company, but I don't... I'm not... I'm fine with hospitals, actually."

She groans internally at her awkward babble. _Your_ company?! And what's with the stuttering? Very convincing. Cameron, however, surprisingly doesn't even comment on it.

"When is the appointment?" she asks instead.

"Nine am on Wednesday."

"That works for me. Where do you want to meet?"

Eva's mind goes blank. Where does she want to meet? Cameron still wants to meet her? She's going to see Cameron again?

Apparently so.

"I-I guess at the clinic? It's, um, I can text you the address."

"Sounds great! So, what-"

There's a sudden onset of loud and shrill beeping and Eva hears rustling and a steady stream of swear words coming from her phone.

"I'm sorry, I gotta go," Cameron says hastily and swears some more under her breath. "See you on Wednesday!"

"Yeah, alright," Eva replies confusedly, wondering what's going on. "See you..."

The line quiets and she looks at the ended call for a moment, her thoughts still on the other woman. Was that a fire alarm? She sends the address, which she got from Proctor earlier, and drags herself into the kitchen to make dinner. Fifteen minutes later, her question is answered.

/Perfect! Btw, in case you were wondering, I didn't burn the place down, but my neighbors probably hate me right now. Took me forever to turn that stupid thing off!/

Eva smirks and starts typing a reply, only to erase it a moment later. After several attempts to write something even remotely witty she gives up and settles on a simple "Better luck next time!" Then she debates with herself whether or not she should add a smiley face – and if yes, which one? – until she gets tired of her own indecisiveness and just sends it already.

Cameron obviously isn't as tongue-tied, because her reply comes within a minute.

/Yes, next time I'll turn it off immediately ;)/

Eva wants to write back but she doesn't know what to say, so she puts her phone away and tries to focus on her cooking. She'd rather not trigger her own smoke detector. Cameron probably isn't expecting an answer anyway.

Or is she?

Eva picks up her phone again and rereads the message. No, it doesn't _require_ a reply. But what if the younger woman is still expecting one? She's, what, twenty-five? Twenty-seven? Maybe there are texting rules Eva doesn't know about. Serena would know what to do, but she can't call the first-year-resident just to ask for texting advice, that's beyond ridiculous. She's probably just overthinking again. And she's not focusing on her cooking!

She doesn't burn the food, thankfully, but when she eats a little while later she realizes she's completely forgotten to add salt. It may or may not have been because she was too distracted by thoughts of a certain immunologist...

Dammit, what is this woman doing to her?

* * *

The weekend proceeds without a hitch, and so does Monday and Tuesday. Eva is tired, of course, and deals with the usual feeling of being slightly unwell. Nothing out of the ordinary. Wednesday morning arrives, and she curses fasting blood tests. Like she wasn't weak enough already. She makes sure to at least be well hydrated and to bring some fruit with her.

When she gets to the clinic Cameron isn't there yet, so she sits down in the small waiting room and rests her head against the wall. She's been better. Memory flashes from her dreams keep distracting her and she closes her eyes to be able to see the pictures more clearly. It's all Cameron, with blonde hair and red leather jacket, and has been for almost every night since they met last week. Despite all their fighting the other woman has ended up saving her numerous times, and there's this deep, undeniable connection between them neither dream-Eva nor dream-Cameron can refuse. The last two nights there's actually been considerably less fighting and more of other... _things_. Perhaps she shouldn't be thinking about that right now, she's distracted as it is, but her mind has other plans. They are definitely starting to get along and since it's pretty unlikely anything even remotely similar will ever happen in real life, she might as well enjoy the made-up images in her mind while they are still clear.

"Eva?"

She looks up, but there's no way... It can't be. It simply can't, and she needs to wake up right this moment.

"Are you okay?"

She's acutely aware of the gentle hand on her shoulder and forces herself to respond.

"Mhm," she nods, and the very blonde Cameron smiles and sits down next to her.

Eva glances at the red leather jacket the blonde is wearing, resisting the urge to reach out and touch it. She has some serious trouble to distinguish dream from reality right now. Her gaze travels upwards, to the younger woman's face, to her mouth, her nose, her eyes...and back down to those pink, alluring lips of hers. They suddenly contort into an awkward smile and Eva averts her eyes, shutting them tightly.

_Wake up, wake up, wake up._

This is impossible, yet feels so incredibly real, and she's utterly confused. Why would Cameron suddenly be blonde? Why would she have a red leather jacket? Why that exakt combination, unless it's just another dream?

"Are you absolutely sure you're alright?" Cameron insists, causing Eva's eyes to shoot open as her train of thought is interrupted.

"Mhm," she says again and swallows thickly, flustered by her inability to form full sentences.

She dares a quick glance at the young blonde, who's looking genuinely concerned. It's... _off_. Dream-Cameron has never looked at her like this, there's usually much more tension between them. This...this is the look of the woman she met at Walmart. Eva's eyes grow wide as the daunting realization hits her. This Cameron is indeed real. She's _Cameron_. Eva has just...oh God, she's been acting really strange, the younger woman must think she's crazy! Or worse, she probably thinks she's-

"I'm not scared," Eva asserts and looks away, trying not to show her sudden embarrassment. "I'm perfectly fine being here."

"Okay," Cameron says softly, and it doesn't take more than two brain cells to figure out that she doesn't believe Eva.

 _Fantastic_. So that was why she agreed to come anyway, she thought Eva was just embarrassed about her fears. Her fears, which in reality don't involve hospitals, clinics, or doctors whatsoever. The only thing she's afraid of, really, is to detect a terminal illness. Also, that Cameron will react badly when she – for sure this time – learns the truth.

Eva swallows again and reluctantly turns her head toward the nothing but well-meaning woman on her left. The blue-green eyes that gaze back at her are so kind and non-judgemental, and Eva's words get caught in her throat. What if that gentle expression turns into one of anger? Or worse, disgust? Decidedly, Cameron doesn't seem like the kind of person who would react in any of those ways to what she has to say, but _what_ _if_?

Eva whines internally. This would've been so much easier if she'd eaten. She's not in the mood for dealing with any kind of trouble right now. But perhaps she's just making a mountain out of a molehill – for probably the umpteenth time – and should just get it over with.

"I'm sorry," she begins apologetically, "but I really don't-"

"Eva Zambrano?"

Flustered, Eva snaps her head around to the doctor who's just inadvertently interrupted her important revelation. He appears to be in late middle age, with olive skin and grey hair, and despite his untimeliness she immediately likes him. Cameron gets up beside her and Eva quickly follows suit, and while they approach the older doctor she decides to clear up her and Cameron's misunderstanding as soon as the opportunity arises. Then, she has to focus all her attention on walking, and keeping her balance in general. She shouldn't have jumped up like that, of course she shouldn't. What was she thinking? It's not like she can sit down again _now,_ because they are right in the middle of crossing the room. No, all she can do is slow down a little, breathe, and hope that the dizzy spell passes undramatically.

She's not sure who moves closer to whom, but her and Cameron's shoulders suddenly brush against each other. It's rather comforting, knowing that there's someone right there beside her, especially since her vision has gone black and the buzzing in her ears is alarmingly loud. Somewhere in the back of her mind she's aware that she stops walking and fumbles for something to steady herself on. Her body feels awfully heavy and all she can think of is that she must keep her legs straight, she can't buckle her knees. She absolutely _cannot_ lose her balance, or she'll be damned.

Then her heart starts thumping like a galloping draft horse in her chest, finally catching up with the drop in blood pressure. She's once again in control of her breathing and resume taking deep breaths, the oxygen boost much needed. Her hearing and vision almost instantly returns and she becomes aware that she's clutching Cameron's red leather jacket like her life depends on it. The blonde is standing in front of Eva with her shoulders in a solid grip, firmly calling her name.

"Yes. Yes, I'm fine," Eva claims, retracting her hands.

She throws a quick glance around the waiting room, noticing a fair amount of curious gazes. Oh, how great.

"I'm fine, let's just...get this over with," she mumbles, motioning toward the doctor she's supposed to visit and wishing for this horrible morning to end as soon as possible.

Why does Cameron have to be around during her most embarrassing moments? Why not her good moments? There's plenty of those. Plenty. The blonde frowns at her, still looking concerned, but lets go of her shoulders, allowing her to move forward. Eva doesn't miss the protective hand that's placed on her back and kept there until they've entered the examination room.

"Welcome!" the male doctor greets after closing the door behind them. "I am Dr. De La Rosa."

He extends his hand, and Eva and Cameron shake it as they introduce themselves, then he looks searchingly at Eva and asks if she's okay, causing her to blush profoundly.

"Yes, I am, thanks," she assures him.

"Good to hear. If you have any questions or concerns at all, please do tell. Would you like some water?"

She nods and makes a mental note never to lie again, no matter how small and harmless the lie may seem at a first glance. They sit down and she gets her water, which she politely sips on. At this point, perhaps it's best to just play along, because a surgeon bringing moral support to a simple check-up would no doubt be frowned upon. What was she even thinking when she said she didn't mind Cameron's company? Clearly a desperate move to get to see her again, which succeeded, but the encouraging smiles Eva receivs from the blonde makes her feel like the biggest fraud ever. She better enjoy their time together, though, because when they leave this room that may be the end of it.

Dr. De La Rosa begins with the physical exam, simultaneously asking questions. When he asks about Eva's weight, she's not sure what to reply, since she's never had to bother too much about it and hasn't weighed herself in ages. She tells the last number she remembers and Dr. De La Rosa gives her a thoughtful look before directing her to the scale. The device informs her that she's lost a few pounds, well, quite a few, actually. It's honestly not _that_ surprising, considering her food habits lately, but seems somewhat out of proportion. She's not been starving herself, far from it. The weight loss is completely unintentional and she certainly didn't need it, she was fine before.

"Are you eating well?"

Blushing, Eva admits that she actually hasn't for some time, only for the latest few days. The Walmart incident provoked a change and she's made greater effort with her meals since then. However, the results of her latest blood test show that at least a few deficiencies can be excluded, so she makes sure to inform both Cameron and Dr. De La Rosa about that. The older doctor hums and continues to ask questions about her symptoms.

Soon he moves on to measure her blood pressure, which proves to be pretty low. She doesn't know what she expected, really, because she's obviously been suffering from drops in blood pressure from time to time – like in the waiting room just a few minutes ago – and yet, it would normally be high if her problems were caused by stress and overworking.

"Will you stand up, please?"

Eva gulps but does as instructed, hoping it'll go better this time. It does, she's able to see the whole time, but there are the familiar buzzing in her ears and a general jelly feeling in her limbs. Dr. De La Rosa keeps a close eye on her while he measures her blood pressure again, twice, with a few minutes between the checks.

"You don't fully qualify for something called orthostatic hypotension, but it's just barely. This means that your body is not responding appropriately to postural changes, so that, for instance, standing up too quickly may cause dizziness and even fainting. You've probably already noticed this and it's important to be careful so you don't hurt yourself."

Yeah... The bruises are fading, at least.

As she sits down again she dares a glance at Cameron, who's gaze is suddenly very intense. Eva can't quite read it, and finds herself unable to look away. It's the blonde who, eventually, breaks eye contact, and Eva's not sure what just happened. No one's ever looked at her that way before, no one except... Dream-Cameron.

But there's no time to ponder about that, because they're nearing the end of the appointment and only have one more thing left to do. Eva's right, unbruised arm is used for this blood sample and the procedure doesn't take quite as long as last time. She curiously watches her arm, rather fascinated by the fact that the crimson liquid filling the vials is actually her own. Usually, she only gets to see other people's blood.

"Um," comes tentatively from her left, accompanied with a nudge to her arm. "Maybe you shouldn't _watch_?"

"Right," Eva says awkwardly, forcing a smile toward the younger woman, and avoids to look at her arm for the remainder of the procedure.

She feels as if her heart is blackening for every untrue action and she's glad it's just for a few more minutes. Checking her health status was supposed to be a small, pointless thing and then she met Cameron and her potassium levels were off and everything just...got messy.

When the required amount of blood is drawn, Dr. De La Rosa tapes a gauge to the puncture site and instructs Eva to keep it on for at least fifteen minutes. She nods as if she hasn't herself been dealing with an uncountable number of wounds. _Fatal_ wounds, incomparable to this tiny mark.

"Well, that's all for now," he declares, labeling the blood tubes. "The results may take up to a week, or sometimes longer, but I'll try to get back to you soon. Until then, just try to take it easy. Okay?"

"Okay," Eva nods and slowly scoots to the edge of her seat, deciding to start right there and then.

"Perhaps _you_ should try movies and ice cream in bed, too," Cameron suggests jokingly, leaning closer to Eva with a wiggle of her eyebrows. "Then I wouldn't feel so alone..."

Eva rolls her eyes but can't help to smirk at the blonde. She's hardly alone, there ought to be tons of people in Miami with the same _hobbies_ as her. It's still remarkable, though, that the chilly dessert has been brought up nearly all the times they've talked.

"What is your obsession with ice cream?"

Cameron chuckles and offers Eva her hand, a hand which the brunette accepts after only a millisecond of hesitance and then has every intention to hold on to for as long as possible. Well, for as long as it's convenient, at least, but Cameron's support is actually helpful as Eva stands up. Not that she couldn't have managed without it. She got up nice and slow this time.

"I don't have an obsession with ice cream," Cameron claims, her tone still playful. "In case you've forgotten, I need it to keep cool in your heat."

"Ah, yes, we wouldn't want you to get overheated, now would we?" Eva teases, and then blushes when she sees the unmistakable look Dr. De La Rosa gives them.

Isn't it typical. Just when she thought it couldn't get any worse, there _must_ of course be yet another string added to the web of misunderstandings. It's remarkable that the one time she's mistaken for being in a relationship with someone she isn't, it's with a _woman_ , and one she barely knows, at that. She does feel a connection with Cameron, but that's all in her head. Right? Or what if it isn't, what if everyone else can see what she's feeling? What if she's _that_ transparent? She immediately drops Cameron's hand and tries to put on a neutral face as she grabs her purse from where it hangs on the back of her chair.

They are out of the room within seconds and Eva regrets rushing out the very moment the door closes behind them. This is it. This is possibly – but hopefully not – their last moments together, and she's nervous and reluctant and _really_ really hungry. The red apple she brought is quickly dug up from her purse and Cameron lets out an amused puff or air through her nose.

"Is this the moment I'm supposed to ask you about your 'apple obsession'?"

"I don't have an-"

Eva quickly shuts her mouth and purses her lips. Very well, one point to Cameron.

They exit the building and the warm weather outside is a great contrast to the air conditioned clinic. Eva resists the urge to tease back, she has more important revelations to make, but Cameron is faster.

"So," she drawls out. "Any plans for the rest of the day?"

Plans?

"Uh, no, no plans," Eva falters, thrown off by the question. "Well, except that I should try to get some rest, I have work tonight."

Cameron's brows furrow and she shifts position so that she's fully facing Eva.

"You're working _nights_ while feeling like this?"

"It's not like I have much of a choice," Eva says defensively. "It's my _job_. I'm needed."

"And if you were to be sick?"

"They'd call in someone else, but I'm hardly ever sick and that's not gonna change just because of this stupid thing I may have," she firmly asserts.

Cameron tilts her head and smirks knowingly.

"It appears I was right," she says, satisfied with her own perceptiveness. "Don't I know a workaholic when I see one."

Eva folds her arms across her chest and scowls at the blonde, but doesn't argue. She knows it's at least somewhat true, because even if she didn't _have_ to work this much, she probably still would.

"What do you work with, anyway?"

It's the dreaded question and Eva swallows thickly, not meeting Cameron's gaze. Despite her current stance she feels incredibly vulnerable, and she knows that she waits for way too long to give her answer.

"I'm a trauma surgeon."


	4. "I only caught español"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More revelations, confessions, truths, and emotions a bit out of control...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so bad at estimating fic length, lmao, but there really should just be just one more chapter after this :p It felt better to split them.

**"I only caught _español_ "**

"A surgeon?"

Cameron looks perplexed and squints at Eva, who unfolds her arms and starts to fidget with her hands.

"Yeah..." she says, awkwardly shifting her weight. "I should've told you sooner, but I tried, and... Well..."

"So when you said you weren't scared, you actually meant it."

It's not a question, just a realization, and Eva confirms it with a silent nod and an apologetic smile. She's not sure how Cameron will react so she tries to be prepared for anything, but when the blonde starts laughing she's taken by surprise, nonetheless. It's not a mocking or spiteful laugh, more like a soft chuckle, but Eva still blushes faintly.

"Wow, I feel pretty stupid now," Cameron admits, adding to Eva's guilt.

"I'm sorry," Eva says apologetically. "I never meant for it to get this far."

Things like this surely don't happen to people who 'act like adults'. She should practise what she preaches.

"Well, you know, if you didn't want me to come along you could've just told me so," the blonde points out with a small smile. "But I got the impression you did want me here, and... I guess I'm just a bit confused."

Eva's cheeks turn a whole new shade of red, almost matching the apple she promptly takes another bite from to win more time to think of a reply. But it doesn't really matter what she says now, does it? She should just bid the blonde goodbye, go home, and forget all about-

"Was that why you were acting so strange in the waiting room?"

"No," Eva hurries to say, her gaze trailing over Cameron's blonde locks. " _That_ was mostly because of your hair. And your jacket."

"My...?" Cameron begins, then realization flashes in her eyes. "Oh, right! I've changed it. What's with the jacket, though? Aside from the fact that I'm burning up in it. God, I thought it was supposed to rain today?"

She almost rips the jacket off and Eva is stunned by the sight that meets her. Cameron is wearing a white tank top and there's a great chance that those arms actually _could_ carry her out of a burning building, especially now that she's a little lighter than usual. When she looks up to meet Cameron's gaze again the blonde is smirking, and the just faded blush on Eva's cheeks reappears. Of course Cameron would notice her _ogling_. Good job, very subtle.

"I bet you're really hungry," the blonde says, as if that alone would explain Eva's odd behavior and lack of answers. "What do you say about continuing this conversion over breakfast?"

For a second Eva's mind is completely blank, then she slowly comprehends that the – quite literally – woman of her dreams just asked her out for breakfast. Cause that's what she did, right? Or maybe not...asked her _out_. Maybe that's just wishful thinking on Eva's part.

"I actually have a confession to make, too," Cameron admits.

She doesn't reveal any further details and if it's supposed to make Eva curious, it succeeds, although she already has an idea of what the confession might be about. That address...

"Okay," Eva simply agrees, reminding herself that it's _just_ breakfast, it doesn't _necessarily_ mean anything, and Cameron is _probably_ just curious. "What do you want to eat? I know a place not far from here."

"I've already eaten and don't need much, so, wherever you wanna go."

* * *

The cafe is small and the tables so narrow that if Eva would slouch even the slightest in her seat, her knees would connect with Cameron's. The red leather jacket stays off and Eva doesn't complain, she just sips her coffee, eats her turkey sandwich, and listens to the blonde explaining what she's _really_ doing in Miami.

"My vacation is more of a long term thing," she says and snatches a few potato chips from Eva's plate.

Eva has made sure that she doesn't want them and Cameron, who didn't order any food herself, was quick to adopt the stack of fried potato. There's an odd familiarity to it and to make the food sharing easier, Eva has pushed her plate to the middle of the small table.

"I quit my job and needed a change," Cameron continues. "When I first got here I didn't really have a plan, but I quite like it here. I was fortunate to find an apartment really quickly. Maybe not in the best neighborhood but I don't care much about that. As long as I can walk safely on the streets, you know."

Eva nods and doesn't mention that she _does_ in fact know, because of her little stalking session. She doesn't remember Cameron's exact address, but she knows very well what kind of neighborhood the blonde lives in. It's not far from her own, after all.

"I'm looking for a job, actually. Should probably learn some Spanish, too, because sometimes I have no idea of what people are saying and I like to know what's going on around me."

"Yeah, knowing Spanish is definitely an advantage here," Eva confirms.

"You seemed to be pretty fluent when you ordered your food," Cameron points out and takes some more chips.

"My family is Cuban," Eva explains. "I came here when I was six."

Cameron chews, and nods, and chews, and suddenly smirks.

"And then you became a trauma surgeon."

Eva stiffens, feeling caught in a trap she kind of set herself, but then she reminds herself that Cameron is still sitting there, curious for an explanation. She hasn't left. She's not angry. She just wants to understand. Eva swallows down her current bite.

"Something like that," she affirms and makes an effort to steadily meet Cameron's expectant blue-green eyes. "I didn't want to ruin your heroic moment."

Cameron looks clueless, her brows furrowed, so Eva elaborates.

"At Walmart. You were throwing your titles around and I didn't want to ruin the moment by telling you that I was a doctor, too. Besides, I was pretty embarrassed, anyway. I _surely_ should know how to take care of myself."

"That's not..." Cameron interjects and cocks her head to the side. "Just because you're a doctor doesn't mean you can't ever be sick or make unhealthy decisions. That's ridiculous logic."

She puts a potato chip into her mouth, as if to accentuate her point, and shrugs.

"We're just human like everybody else."

"I know," Eva sighs. "Some part of me knows that."

Cameron nods slowly and then narrows her eyes a little.

"Why did you tell me you didn't like hospitals?" she wonders curiously, taking on a mischievous look. "I must tell you, though, that you were very convincing. With your stuttering and blushing and all that."

As if on cue Eva's cheeks redden, and for someone who normally doesn't blush this is beginning to feel incredibly silly. She begins to explain, tentatively, but then it's like the dam breaks and the words just pour out. She tells the truth, that she just said the first thing that popped up in her head and never could have imagined that Cameron would offer to go with her to the doctor. She admits to deciding right away that she wouldn't call, because she wasn't going to check anything up and even if she _had_ been, she wouldn't have needed company. She even talks about Chris and how he assumed that Cameron was a guy trying to score a date with her, and then suddenly quiets as she notices the guilty look on Cameron's face.

"What?" she inquires.

"Well, you know," Cameron begins hesitantly. "He wasn't _entirely_ wrong, actually..."

It's the blonde's turn to blush and she takes a swig from her orange juice, using the glass as a barrier between them. All Eva can think of is how hard and fast her heart is beating in her chest. Is there actually a chance? Have they really been having the same intent all along? It seems too good to be true.

But it's not too good. It's just...true.

"I'm sorry if you find that offensive or anything. I mean, I still care for your health and would've accompanied you for your appointment either way, but..."

Cameron trails off and Eva can't stop the smile that spreads on her own face, reaching her eyes in an instant. The connection between them feels stronger than ever and she can only hope that Cameron is feeling it, too.

"I dreamt about you," she says.

Cameron's mouth twists into a smirk and she looks notably intrigued by this revelation.

"You did?"

"Mhm, and you were...blonde and had a red leather jacket."

Cameron frowns and then narrows her gaze skeptically.

"Are you just making this up?"

"No," Eva assures her with a chuckle. "When you showed up in the waiting room I honestly thought I was dreaming again."

"So _that's_ why you were acting so strange! I knew it couldn't be only because of my new look."

"Yeah," Eva mumbles and looks down at the table. "I got pretty embarrassed when I realized it was really _you_ , then I didn't get the chance to explain myself because the doctor called my name and, well, you know the rest."

Cameron is laughing again, a soft, melodic laugh that makes Eva think of angels.

"You know, at first I thought you were having a panic attack."

Heat rushes to Eva's cheeks – it seems they are destined to display a semi-permanent hue of red today – and she represses the awkward memory.

"I'm sorry for the inconvenience," she says with feigned gravity, "but I was rather busy trying not to repeat the Walmart incident."

Cameron smirks.

"Yeah, I figured that out after learning your blood pressure. Then, when you seemed to be overly interested in that blood of yours, I began to suspect that not everything was what it seemed."

"I really am sorry," Eva says earnestly. "Like I said, I never meant for it to get this far."

"But it did, and here we are."

It's a fair point. Would they still be here if it wasn't for all of their miscommunications? And Chris' meddling? The silence is deafening and neither of them seems to be in any hurry to break eye contact.

"Aren't you gonna eat that?" Cameron asks eventually, gesturing toward the half-finished sandwich on Eva's plate.

Eva is not hungry anymore. In fact, she's having that familiar feeling of slight nausea, which she realizes she forgot to mention to Dr. De La Rosa. She was mainly focusing on her and Cameron's misunderstanding, and the nausea has been present in various – but mild – degrees for such a long time now that it almost feels normal. It's slowly getting worse, though, and she realizes that it may not be because of her poor eating habits lately, after all.

"No, I think I'm finished," she declares.

Cameron frowns and gives her a slightly admonishing look.

"You need to eat."

"Yes, I know, but I have eaten and I'm full," Eva responds, and she can't quite keep the irritation out of her voice.

She's so tired of people treating her like she's incapable of taking care of herself. It's not like she's starving, and definitely not on purpose! Cameron doesn't seem to realize that she's treading on dangerous ground.

"After half a sandwich? You need to stretch you stomach to-"

"I don't _need_ to do anything!" Eva exclaims in a sudden flare of anger. "Just leave it!"

Cameron looks notably taken aback by the outburst and Eva's stomach drops. She's ruined it. Great. Fucking perfect. She yelled at her potential date for exactly no reason. Well, for a _petty_ reason. She can feel her dismay as a tight knot in her chest and as tears burning behind her eyes, and she buries her face in her hands with an exasperated sigh.

"I'm sorry," she mumbles into her palms. "I'm... This..."

There's suddenly liquid spilling from her eyes and she doesn't want Cameron to see, doesn't want her to know... She's crying. And she feels pathetic. How did everything go downhill so quickly?

"Excuse me," she says and all but bolts from the table, keeping her gaze averted best she can.

She stumbles out the door – can't even make a proper retreat! – and stops right outside to steady herself on the cafe wall. Tears are still escaping her eyes and she angrily wipes them away, taking a few deep breaths. It's like she's seven years old and her favorite toy just broke. If she had just apologized like a normal person and explained herself, perhaps everything would've turned out just fine, but _now_ -

The door opens behind her and she freezes mid-thought. Cameron slowly comes into view, a look of worry and confusion on her face, and Eva determinedly averts her gaze. _Now_ would be a great moment for the Earth to open up and swallow her whole.

"Hey," Cameron says gently and places a tentative hand on her arm. "I didn't mean to upset you."

And it's... _Unbelievable_. The blonde is so unfalteringly understanding that Eva can't help to let out a small laugh at the ridiculousness of it all. Except, it comes out more like a sob, and before she knows it she's wrapped up in a pair of strong arms. Her mind practically goes blank and races at the same time, but she wants to say something, wants to explain, to apologize.

"I'm such a mess," she mumbles dejectedly, her mouth so close to Cameron's bare shoulder that her lips almost brush against it as she speaks.

She sniffs a little to clear her nose, _definitely_ feeling like she's seven again, and Cameron's sweet scent suddenly attacks her senses. It's intoxicating, and it's _everywhere_. They're so _close_ and Eva's dreams doesn't even compare to reality.

"That's okay," Cameron says lightly and just... _holds_ her.

Their proximity doesn't seem to faze the blonde at all and neither does Eva's recent little meltdown. Perhaps it's just Eva who needs to chill out and pull herself together. Perhaps-

"I'm not normally like this," she says apologetically. "It's just that... Lately I've been..."

She searches for the right words but Cameron leans back from the embrace, enough to look her in the eyes, and interrupts.

"It's _okay_ ," she insists, and wipes a stray tear away from Eva's jaw. "We're gonna figure out what's going on with you, fix it, and _then_ we can have a proper argument. Alright?"

She smirks and there's a mischievous glint in her eye, not unlike the one often displayed by the fierce dream-Cameron. Eva smiles back but suddenly doesn't quite know where to look, so she's mostly relieved – and just a little disappointed – when Cameron lets go of her. They're still standing pretty close, after all, Eva reasons with herself.

"Shall we go back inside and grab your purse before anyone else does?" Cameron says half-jokingly.

Right, Eva's purse still standing by the foot of her chair. She dries the remainder of her tears best she can before they re-enter the cafe. The owner, Marco – whom Eva is acquainted with from earlier visits – looks up from the counter and immediately hauls a bunch of questions at them. In Spanish, though, so Cameron gives Eva an uncertain look.

"It's fine," Eva assures her before switching language and turning to Marco. " _No, no trouble, we're good. Sorry for causing a scene. I'm just having a rough day. And no, she doesn't speak Spanish, but she's thinking of learning to._ "

" _I'm glad to hear, and I hope your day gets better,_ " Marco replies and points briefly at her. " _You could teach her._ "

Eva chuckles and smiles as she makes a half-hearted attempt to shake her head. It's not such a bad idea, actually, but she doesn't know if Cameron would be interested. And, another important detail, when would she have time to give lessons?

" _We'll see,_ " she says noncommittally and reaches down to pick up her purse.

When she straightens again, Cameron is stuffing her mouth with the abandoned turkey sandwich. Eva's brows furrow in surprise.

"Oh, I'm sowwy," Cameron mumbles around her mouthful and hurries to chew up and swallow. "Did you want this, after all?"

"No, go ahead," Eva says, a faint smile appearing on her face. "But I thought you said you'd already eaten?"

"Yeah, but I simply can't let you leave this much. It'd be rude."

Cameron grins to ensure Eva that she's only joking and takes another bite of the sandwich.

"It's good."

Somehow she manages to talk with food in her mouth and still look amazing. The blonde hair really suits her, Eva thinks. Just like the brown hair did. She's glad Cameron hasn't asked her which look she likes best, because she wouldn't be able to decide.

"We can sit down again, if you want to," she offers the blonde, although she'd rather just get out of there.

"Nah, let's head back, I can eat while we walk. Multitasking, you know," Cameron replies with a smirk.

* * *

They get back to the clinic way too quickly for Eva's liking, despite keeping a slow pace, but neither of them seems to be in a hurry to leave. They linger in the parking lot, not wanting to say goodbye just yet.

"What did you and the cafe guy talk about?" Cameron asks, trying to make conversion. "I only caught _español_."

"Yeah, he wondered if you speak Spanish," Eva replies, then hesitates for a moment before continuing. "When I said you didn't, but wanted to learn, he suggested I could teach you."

She concludes that telling Cameron was indeed the right decision when the blonde immediately lightens up.

"That's a great idea! If you want to, I mean. I've been thinking of taking an online course but it'd be great to have someone who knows the language to practise with, as well."

"Yeah, that's always helpful," Eva agrees. "I work a lot, as you know, but I'm sure I would be able to find time to practise with you."

If not, she will bloody _make_ time. After all the doubts and trouble she's been dealing with to get to this point, she's not letting any opportunities to get to know Cameron go to waste.

"Great!" the younger woman says with a big smile and shifts closer. "I guess...we'll keep in touch then?"

In _touch_. Memories from when they met at Walmart flashes through Eva's mind. _Very good hands... Will_ _take_ _good_ _care_ _of_ _me... They're_ _quite_ _nimble_ , _actually..._

"Yeah, absolutely," she agrees and puts on a smile matching Cameron's, hoping that the blonde isn't able to read her thoughts.

They do a little awkward dance – what _is_ actually the most convenient way to say goodbye in their situation? – before going for a hug.

Eva doesn't want it to end. She's glad when Cameron doesn't retreat immediately and allows herself to melt into the embrace for a little while, but they can't stand like that forever, now can they? Reluctantly, she eventually loosens her grip of the other woman, and they slowly detangle from each other. Light eyes search out darker ones and Eva fails to stop her tongue from darting out to wet her lips as their gazes meet. _Subtle_. Cameron hesitates.

"Uhm," she says and takes a half step back, awkwardly scratching her neck. "So, will you give me a call when you get the blood work results? You don't have to, of course, it's entirely up to you, but, uh..."

"I'll call," Eva assures her.

It's the first time she sees Cameron display some sort of insecurity, really, and she finds it rather endearing. For a while there, she almost thought the other woman was superhuman. The change makes herself a little bolder.

"And I'll tell you all the results in Spanish, so you better get started with that online course," she adds with a wink.

The teasing helps to ease the awkward tension between them and Cameron grins, back to her old confident self.

"Got it!" she says, playing along, and her voice drops a few notes. "I'll be waiting for that call."

This time Eva isn't fooling herself. She _will_ call and she will do it without any involvement of stupid lies, misunderstandings, or 'help' from Chris. She just needs the results.


	5. Cameron, Cameron, Cameron?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eva goes to hell and back and is saved by Cameron. Or wait, that wasn't really this story, was it? Well, kind of.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here it is, the final chapter! It's...a little gross, maybe, and somewhat intense. Just thought I'd mention that xD And yeah, the poem is mine!
> 
> Have a nice read :)

**Cameron, Cameron, Cameron?**

_Eva has magic. Then she doesn't have magic. But when Cameron puts her hand on her arm, the hat spins, opening a portal. They_ both _have magic._ _They move the moon together._ _Then Eva is teaching Cameron how to control her powers and the blonde is rather overwhelmed by it all._

_"Are you kidding me right now?" she says exasperatedly, holding up the book Eva just handed her. "What language is this? Spanish?"_

_"We're not making tapas, we're making magic," Eva replies unhumorously._

_Just a short while later Cameron manages to levitate a whole bridge and Eva deems the lesson quite a success, after all._

_They fight monsters side by side, Eva's magic purple and Cameron's white and yellowish. Together they are much more powerful than they would be on their own and nothing seems to be able to defeat their combined forces. When they kiss, it's like fireworks and roller coaster rides and a million electrical impulses shooting through their bodies all at once._

Eva wakes up with a throb between her legs. The nausea from before is subdued and she feels surprisingly rejuvenated. Making _magic_ , huh? Yeah, sure, whatever her dream self wants to call it. But 'magic' was not what she and Cameron decided to practise, because that was indeed Spanish and nothing else. However, she's not been in the mood much lately, so in a way it actually _is_ a bit magical. A quick glance at her alarm clock informs her that there's plenty of time before she needs to get up.

Time she spends well.

She arrives at work still in a daze and her colleagues quickly notice the change.

"Your appointment today went well, I take it?"

"Hm?" Eva says distractedly and looks up at Proctor.

"You seem to be in a better mood than usual so I figured you'd received some good news."

"Oh. Yeah, I am, but no good news, I'm afraid. I've just had a nice day."

" _No_ , Eva, you didn't," Chris cuts into the conversation and gives her a look of pretend disapproval.

"I didn't what?" she questions, frowning confusedly. "Have a nice day?"

"Not on the first date. That's _my_ thing."

"Chris, what on Earth are you talking about?"

He gives her a suggestive look and smirks mischievously, glancing briefly at Proctor before replying.

"I think that _someone_ decided to bring a certain _other_ _someone_ to the doc, after all, and then _things_ happened."

She gets it, then, not a moment too soon.

"Chris!" she hisses in exasperation, but he just snickers and shakes his head.

"Well, it was meant as a joke, but I must say that you look pretty guilty."

Sure as hell she looks guilty, considering what she was doing just a couple of hours ago.

"I don't!" she protests. "And I'm not. Even if I was, that's not something I'd like to discuss at work!"

Or anywhere, really.

"Alright, fair enough," Chris agrees. "But something happened, I can tell. You're way too happy for just beginning a twelve-hour night shift."

She blushes, and by now she's really starting to sympathize with Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and his troubles. Chris is right. She's been tired and cranky during most of the night shifts lately and tonight she's displaying none of that. Not yet, anyway. Eleven and a half hour left to go.

"Maybe she did come with me to the doc," Eva murmurs, suppressing a smile. "Maybe we went for breakfast together afterwards and _maybe_ , just maybe, I agreed to help her learn Spanish."

"That's a lot of maybes," Chris points out teasingly.

Eva's expression darkens and she lets out a tired sigh. Her good mood won't last for long under these circumstances.

"Hey, you know that I'm just messing with you, right?" Chris says then, suddenly earnest. "It sounds great, honestly. I'm happy for you."

"You're impossible," Eva complains, but there's affection in her voice.

"Yeah, but I'm also awesome," Chris grins in response.

She rolls her eyes at him and smiles, despite herself. She's glad he's taking this thing with Cameron so well. She feels as if she really can talk to him about it, about almost anything, and that's something she greatly values in a friend. _That's_ what makes him amazing, more than anything else.

* * *

Eva thinks about Cameron, a lot. Whenever there's a not so busy moment at work, and most of the time outside of work. She keeps having the dreams. There are no signs of any blood work results but Eva contemplates sending a text or something to the blonde, anyway, just to make conversation. Every time she gets an incoming call or message she hopes it'll be from Cameron. It's silly, really, but apparently you're never older than fifteen when it comes to this sort of things.

Then, late Saturday morning, Eva actually gets a text from Cameron. She sees it at lunch – because _of_ _course_ she needs to check her phone several times a day nowadays – and can't help the smile that spreads on her face.

/Damn! Maybe this dream thing is contagious? Or maybe those apples of yours got to me, because tonight I dreamt I was cutting down your beloved apple tree with a chainsaw :o It made you furious, of course, but that was kind of the point. It was intense.  
Hope you're having a great day :)/

She doesn't have time to write a lengthy reply but she can impossibly wait until later to respond. Serena raises her brows and gives Eva a meaningful look from where she's seated across the table.

"Don't try to pretend you're not glued to your phone some days," Eva says defensively.

"I didn't say anything," Serena smirks.

Yeah, well, Eva knows what she was _thinking_. She shifts focus to her phone again and smiles to herself as she starts typing her reply. Honestly, she doesn't care what her colleagues think. They can think whatever they want.

/Haha, maybe! Fortunately, I don't own any apple trees, so there's nothing to cut down :p  
I'm feeling alright, so all good. How are you?/

And _send_.

She takes a bite of her chicken salad and shifts her attention to Serena and Tuck's conversation. They are talking about their busy mornings. After only a couple of minutes Eva's phone buzzes.

/Nothing to worry about then ;)  
I'm great ^^ I started the online course (y)/

"I approve," Serena comments suddenly. "She's quick to reply."

"Yeah, unlike-" Eva begins, but is interrupted by their pagers beeping.

They all sigh in unison.

"Unlike me," Eva mutters and hopes that she'll have time to reply before the evening, at least.

Hope doesn't get her very far, though. There's been a plane crash and they have a lot of people coming in. Adding the fact that it's Saturday, they stay busy until well past midnight. Not that she's free to go home then, no, she's on a lovely 24-hour shift. But she gets a break long enough to eat something and send an apologetic text to Cameron.

/Sorry, work is busy. Buenas noches :)/

/Take care! Buenas noches :)/

Eva smiles, but it's a tired smile, and she heads toward her on-call room. She would never voluntarily stay up this late herself, not with her current health issues, but of course Cameron is still awake. She doesn't have work to worry about. Eva wishes she didn't, either.

Just as her hand reaches the door handle, her pager beeps, and she stills, slowly closing her eyes. Most of all she just feels like dropping down on the floor and cry, but people need her. They _really_ need her. So she pulls herself together, checks the message, and takes off in a hurried pace. One of her patients is turning critical again.

* * *

She sleeps through most of the Sunday, but doesn't feel particularly well rested when her alarm forces her awake her in the late afternoon. Another night shift is awaiting.

It's not too bad, though. She manages alright. She's just utterly exhausted when she finally gets off duty Monday morning. Traffic is as unpleasant as ever, practically _everyone_ is driving to work. An extra pair of eyes wouldn't have hurt. Then there's a loud bang and she can't breathe.

Her face is a bit numb and there's dust and smoke in the car from the airbag that apparently has deployed, but that's not the main reason why she can't breathe. She looks down at herself and her hands fly to her chest, but everything looks and feels okay. She's not in much pain, not her chest anyway. She just got the wind knocked out of herself, she thinks, feeling somewhat relieved. But what if someone else is hurt?

She exits her car on shaky legs and it looks like there are three cars involved. The one she drove into, her own, and someone behind her who didn't brake quickly enough. Eva doesn't recall the collision itself, or the moments leading up to it, but she's pretty sure she didn't fell asleep at the wheel. If she had been _that_ tired she would've called for a cab instead of driving herself. But it may still be her fault. She doesn't know, it all happened so quickly.

A man approaches, gesticulating angrily toward her.

"¡Cabrona, hija de puta! ¿Por qué no te fijas?"

"Is anyone hurt?" Eva asks, not really listening to whatever insults he's firing at her.

"¡Estupida mujer inglesa!"

It finally sinks in to her which language he's speaking and she tries again, glancing worriedly toward the wrecked backseat door of his car.

" _Is anyone hurt?_ _Were you alone in the car?_ "

" _Yes, I was alone, and I'm fine. But my car is ruined now, thanks to you! And I'm gonna be late for work!_ "

He's _fine_.

" _Okay, wait here,_ " Eva instructs and turns around toward the third car.

The driver, a woman, and two kids are still sitting inside, but their car only has a small dent on its front bumper and they mostly look startled. Eva walks over to them and the driver seat windrow goes down.

"I'm sorry! I was driving too close. Are you okay? Is _he_ okay?"

The woman nods in the direction of the aggravated man, who is now on the phone with someone. Right, Eva should call a tow truck. And someone to drive her home. She's fairly close to her apartment but not really in the mood for walking.

"Yeah, I think we're both pretty okay, thankfully," she says and gives the small family a reassuring smile. "How are you and your kids?"

"Thank God. We're fine, too, just got a little scared."

Although the damage is minor and probably not Eva's fault, she and the woman exchange numbers, just in case. She also insists that they must call their doctor if they develop any back or neck pain, headaches, or any symptoms, really. She stresses the importance of this.

As they drive away, carefully, Eva pulls up her phone – which has survived this, too – and finds a tow truck company to call. Then she gives the same instructions to the man as she gave to the small family and exchange contact information with him, too. He seems to have calmed down.

" _I will. And don't forget yourself, I think you and your car took the worst hit_ ," he says, almost sympathetically. " _Do you have insurance?_ "

" _Yes. My car will most certainly be totalled_ ," she says with a sigh.

He gives it a look and nods.

" _Probably_. _So, do we agree on what happened?_ "

She doesn't want to argue but she's looked around by now and the signs clearly say he should've given way to her. She chastises herself for not asking any of the witnesses while she had the chance, but is glad that she at least got the third driver's number. She can call her and ask if she saw what happened.

" _That depends on what your story is,_ " she declares.

" _Well, obviously_ you _drove into_ me."

" _Yeah, that's...that's not necessarily how it works,_ " she begins but is suddenly overcome with nausea and has to turn away.

So, now what? She's managed to get a concussion? Perhaps it's just her normal nausea combined with stress, she thinks hopefully. She does still feel pretty shaken up by the whole experience. She'll just have to see if it passes.

" _Are you sure you're okay?_ " the man asks. " _You look pretty pale._ "

Well, so people say.

" _I'll be alright,_ " she assures him and tries to swallow her sickness away. " _But if you don't mind, maybe we don't need to have this discussion right now? I've been up working all night, and now this..._ "

" _Yeah, okay,_ " he agrees reluctantly. " _I need to get to work anyway. Oh, here comes my tow truck!_ "

* * *

 

"Hey, Eva. What's...uh..." Cameron says sluggishly, her voice hoarse from sleep.

Right, it's barely eight in the morning.

"I'm sorry, did I wake you up? I didn't think-"

"No! Well, yes, but it's alright. How are you?"

"I just watched my car get towed," Eva sighs.

"What?" Cameron exclaims, sounding very awake all of a sudden. "Are you okay? What happened?"

"I drove into someone on my way home from work and... I did everything wrong, didn't call the police or anything. I was just too focused on finding out if anyone was injured. And I think I have a concussion or something, I'm not feeling too great."

Eva buries her face in her hands. The nausea has only increased and of all her days with exhaustion and dizziness, this is certainly the worst. She's still trembling slightly – from the adrenaline rush, she figures – and her heart rate won't come down, plus, her head is starting to hurt.

"Oh, no... Right back to the hospital then, I guess?"

It's a half-hearted attempt at a joke but Eva smiles weakly anyway.

"Yeah..."

Not quite trusting her legs she sits down on the sidewalk. She can't spot any nearby benches so this'll have to do, and she doesn't care about germs or dried in dog – or human, for that matter – urine as she leans back toward the building behind her.

"Do you have anyone who can drive you?"

"I was thinking, uh... I'm in your neighborhood, so maybe..."

It's awkward. And she has trouble finding the right words.

"But, Eva, I haven't told you where I live," Cameron says, sounding concerned.

Or does she sound alarmed? Wary? Cautious? What if she refuses to help? What if she hangs up before Eva can explain? What if-

"Wait, wait, I... I can explain. I..."

"Eva, listen to me. Where are you?"

Well, she read the street name just a few minutes ago. Unfortunately, she can't remember what it said.

"I, uh..."

She hears rustling on the other end of the line as she squints and tries to read the sign again, but the letters blur together.

"I can't read the sign," she says, dismayed. "Do you know the restaurant with the...uh...weird statues?"

"Yes!" Cameron basically shouts, and it echoes as if she's in a stairwell.

Which she probably is, judging by the background staccato of shoes against stone.

"I'll be there before you know it. Keep talking to me," she orders.

"Thank you," Eva breathes out.

It's a relief, but a relief that doesn't last for long. She suddenly feels very sick. _Very_ sick.

"Eva? I said, keep talking to me. How are-"

But Eva can't talk. She can only try to put her phone away gently as she bends over to the side and heaves her half-digested breakfast out on the sidewalk for everyone to see.

"Eww!"

"Jesus."

"What a disgrace."

She can't determine who says what but people aren't pleased by the display and suddenly keep their distance as if she's contagious. Which, of course, they can't know for sure that she isn't.

Once she's started vomiting, it's hard to stop, she learns. When her stomach is empty she keeps dry heaving for a while, and though it happens less and less frequently, the nausea persists.

"Hey, señorita!"

For a second she thinks it's someone who actually wants to help, but it appears the older woman just wants her gone.

"Do you mind moving? You're keeping customers from my coffee shop."

Does she _mind_? Is the woman seriously suggesting her to move in this state? Can't she see she's in trouble? Why is nobody helping her?

"Is that your phone? Can I call someone?"

So, she actually _is_ willing to help a little. Eva nods weakly, remembering Cameron, and wonders when the blonde will arrive. The older woman picks up the phone, then there's a slight screech from tires and Eva's visual field fills with a yellow vehicle.

"Oh God, Eva!"

Cameron kneels down at Eva's uncontaminated side and wraps her arms around her.

"There, I've got you," she says, rubbing her back soothingly. "Thank God I knew that restaurant. How could the others just leave you like this?"

She gives the older woman an accusing glare, as if it's all her fault.

"I was fine," Eva slurs out, slowly shaking her head.

"Well, you're clearly not fine now," Cameron declares and puts her phone to her ear, seemingly from nowhere. "Yeah, I've found her. Are you still there?"

She scrutinizes Eva with narrowed eyes, puts two fingers to her pulse point, and frowns.

"This does somehow not feel like a simple concussion."

Eva is grateful for the arm that the blonde keeps around her, holding her in place. She's weaker than she's ever been and silently agrees with Cameron, it doesn't feel like a simple concussion. Frankly, she feels as if her whole body is shutting down. Her eyes keep drooping closed and she lets her head rest against the younger woman's shoulder. She doesn't listen too closely but catches fragments of the conversation.

"...the intersect...been vomiting...rapid but weak pulse...very pale...yes, she's conscious but- Eva? _Eva_?"

Eva forces her eyes open.

"Hm?"

"When's your birthday?"

"What?"

"Your birthdate. When were you born?"

"I..."

She should remember, right? But she doesn't.

"What color was the other car, in the accident?"

Like she would even memorize that?

"How many fingers am I holding up?"

Way too many.

Eva shakes her head with feeble movements. Cameron is asking far too many questions and there's that never-ending nausea which refuses to-

She makes a futile attempt to move away before her stomach flips and empties itself of what small amounts of gastric acid it has managed to produce since the last time she threw up.

Cameron gasps. Eva is very sorry.

"Crap! Ah, well, she threw up again. And she's not really answering any of my questions. Will you tell the ambulance driver to fucking hurry?"

There's a short paus before Cameron speaks again, this time more aggravated.

"No, I'm not gonna calm down. Don't you fucking tell me to calm down! Where the fuck is the ambulance?!"

Eva manages to move her incredibly heavy arms to give the upset blonde a small squeeze. Cameron holds her tighter in response and checks her pulse again.

"Eva, I need you to lay down, you shouldn't be sitting up. Can you do that?"

"Mm..."

No.

But Cameron doesn't let go of her, she gently eases her to the ground and puts a piece of clothing under her head. Something leathery.

"You'll be okay," she says softly. "I'm going through every possible condition in my head and I'm gonna figure it out. I've learned from the best. I'm gonna figure it out."

Then she briefly stops talking.

"Do you hear that?"

And Eva does hear. The ambulance. Within a couple of minutes she can also hear the hustle and bustle from the paramedics, and eventually Cameron's distressed voice above it all.

"I'm a doctor! And I know her medical background!"

"I'm sorry, but it's either in the front or you'll have to drive there yourself."

"But I'm helping you! I'm helping _her_!"

"Right now you're mostly in the way, please move aside."

Eva wants to yell at them to allow Cameron with her in the ambulance. The blonde is supposed to make everything okay, she _promised_ , and she's always succeeded before. A lot of those times have been in her dreams, but still. It feels as good as real.

A car door slams shut and there's the familiar sound of a siren screeching to life. Eva should sit up straight and _demand_... But she can barely even move her hands and the noises that erupt from her throat don't convey what she's trying to say at all.

"Nnnnnng...nnnng..."

It's not just that she can't talk, the sound is also muffled by something. There's something on her face.

"What's happening? Is she having a seizure?" she hears one of the paramedics ask, alarmed.

"No, she's been shivering like this the whole time," another replies. "I think she's trying to say something. Hey! Um...Eva! You're in the ambulance and we're doing everything we can to make you feel better, okay? Everything is gonna be fine. Can you hear me?"

There's still nothing wrong with her hearing but she obviously can't reply. She can only hope that they'll find out what's wrong before it's too late.

"Eva?"

"Her vitals keep falling."

"Yeah, I think she's gone again. Have you found any visible trauma?"

"She has plenty of bruises. A lot of them look old but there might be internal bleeding. I'm worried about how fast she's declining."

"Me too. But if _not_ internal bleeding, what else could it be? Have you checked her glucose?"

"I'll do it now. Her friend said something about a possible coexisting endocrine condition. There was suspicion of hyperkalemia."

"Hmm, now that you mention it... Don't those T waves look peaked to you?"

The paramedics keep talking to each other and Eva appreciates to know what's going on. Especially since she's losing her other senses, including those of space and time, but it's beginning to get foggier. She manages to catch that her blood sugar is low and that they have trouble drawing blood from her, but apparently they get enough to find out that her electrolytes are out of whack.

If they are treating her it doesn't feel like it's working, and after what feels like an eternity of slipping further into unconsciousness there are suddenly other voices present. Many voices. They all blend together.

She's having trouble breathing. The air exits her lungs but won't come back in. Every breath feels like her last.

And she knows.

With the machines beeping frantically around her, she knows.

It's over.

* * *

 _I woke up to a whole new me_  
_Wondered how this could be_  
_Happy soul and happy face_  
_Girl, I really love this place_

 _No one but me will ever know_  
_How you make me feel high and low_  
_It's not for anyone else to see_  
_Cause in the end there's only me_

 _Thinking of the things you've said_  
_Listening to the songs in my head_  
_Feels like butterflies under shining sun_  
_I thank you for the things you've done_

* * *

Slowly, Eva's senses are returning.

"Looks like it's working," someone says.

"Indeed it does. Keep monitoring her," says another.

She manages to open her eyes and take in her surroundings. She's not dead. However, when she tries to swallow, she gags on something blocking her throat and panics for a moment.

"Just relax and try to breathe with it," a nurse tells her. "We had to intubate you, but it's only temporary."

What's wrong with her? Why is she on the vent? Where is Cameron? Eva has so many questions but she can't voice any of them and decides right there and then that she _hates_ intubation. All her previously intubated patients have her sympathy, more so now than before.

As life continues to return to her in a steady pace, she wishes that someone could just _explain_ what's going on.

"It appears you had an acute adrenal crisis," the nurse says then. "We're going to need to do a few more tests to determine what caused it, but you probably have your friend to thank for your life."

Cameron? Eva forgets for a moment that she can't speak and gags again when she tries.

"I know, I know," the nurse soothes and turns to exchange a few words with another nurse before turning back toward Eva. "Let's remove this thing. Cough, please."

It's not pleasant and her throat is somewhat sore, but that's a rather small price to pay, after all. With the tube gone she can move her head more freely and quickly scans the room of any sign of Cameron. There's none.

"Is Cameron here?" she croaks out.

The last thing she remembers of the blonde is her arguing with the paramedics to ride in the ambulance.

"Your friend?" the nurse wonders with a smirk. "Yeah, she was the one insisting your adrenals had given up. I doubt she's left, unless she was forced. But that's unusual."

So she _did_ ride in the ambulance, just not in the back. Either that, or her car has super powers. Wait, forced?

"Can I see her?"

The nurse looks at his colleague for confirmation.

"I'll go see if I can find her," she offers. "She could probably use some good news."

The nurses share a knowing look and Eva feels as if she's missing something. Of course Cameron could use some good news? Her... _friend_ almost died! Not that they are friends, really. They are just starting to get to know each other, and now they'll hopefully get to continue with that.

"She didn't take getting directed to the waiting room very well," the remaining nurse explains, seeing Eva's confusion.

"Oh."

"How are you feeling now?"

"Much better," Eva replies with a small sigh. "But I do still have a headache and I won't lie, I feel like I've been to hell and back."

"I can imagine. We're gonna keep an eye on your head but you should be fine with rest. Regarding your adrenals, we'll have to see what the tests say."

Eva nods.

"My hand hurts, too," she adds after a while, holding it up for the nurse to inspect.

"Yeah? Does this hurt?"

He puts pressure beside a bruise and Eva gasps at the sharp pain shooting through her hand. The monitors register her distress, there's no lying.

"Well, I guess we'll have to get some pictures of it."

"No, it... It can't be broken. I need both my hands for work!"

"Let's hope for the best, then. But, you know, you won't be going back to work within the next few days, anyway."

She knows, and she's trying not to think about it. What if she can never work again? Never _ever_? Well, that kind of catastrophic thinking won't make her feel any better. What _does_ make her feel better is Cameron entering the room, red eyes, red nose, but with a relieved smile on her face. When she reaches Eva she lets out a faint chuckle.

"We gotta stop meeting like this."

"Like this?" Eva questions, her brows raised.

"With you in an involuntary horizontal position. Does gravitation somehow affect you differently or...?" Cameron says jokingly and Eva can't help to smile.

"Yeah, well, this wasn't what I had in mind for a second date."

It's out before she can think twice about it and there's a sudden change in the atmosphere around them. Eva practically holds her breath as Cameron looks her deeply in the eyes, and the nurses keep conveniently busy. Not that they weren't before, but still.

"Me neither," Cameron agrees. "But I can improvise. After all, the most important thing to me isn't _what_ we do, but that we do it together. So, um..."

She suddenly looks self-conscious and Eva smirks mischievously.

"Mm, sorry, but there's no room left on this bed and I'm not sharing my IV fluids."

Cameron laughs softly.

"It's okay, I'll just find a chair."

She does, and she stays. She calls Eva's dad and Chris to inform them about what's happened. She jokes about trivialities. Eva learns that her hand is indeed broken, and that her body for some reason is destroying the outer layer of her adrenals, causing primary adrenal insufficiency. Addison's disease. It's very rare to begin with and she's one of the handful of people who doesn't have the most characteristic symptom, hyperpigmentation. That's why neither she nor anyone else ever thought of it.

Except Cameron. Of course, the immunologist.

What would've happened if Eva hadn't met Cameron when she did? Would she have died today? They'll never know. And they don't need to know, they're not living in the past.

They look forward.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it! Probably. I have a few vague ideas but I have a lot going on right now and I want to focus on my Swan Queen fic. I hope you've had a great time reading. I tried to balance fact and fiction. Just as a fun fact, a blog I used for a lot of information about living with Addison's is called "Finding Lana". I thought that was pretty damn cool ;)


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